The Arbor School of Central Florida

by Gordon Hasse

Any time an organization can double its size within a decade, you know it’s speaking to the genuine needs of the population it serves.

What, then, does it say about a school that has multiplied the size of its student body by a factor of 28, from 6 pupils during the 2002-2003 school year to an estimated 170 in 2022-2023? The exponential growth speaks to the critical need for – and the life-changing accomplishments of – the Arbor School of Central Florida.

As the school’s 20th anniversary approaches in October, students, parents, and faculty can take pride in and celebrate the success of this exceptional school and its admirable mission: To provide individualized education, therapeutic training, and support experience to help people with disabilities to achieve their full potential in life.

Serving children and young adults from age 5 through 22, Arbor School provides students with highly personalized academics, extracurricular activities, and social skills within a well-structured and supportive environment. Arbor School creates a safe and enriching atmosphere for students with special needs that is simply not available in the public-school system.

Here, students speak freely about how good it feels to be among their peers while they take full advantage of a superb education free of detractors and unnecessary distractions.

Wendy Cox Blair, Arbor School’s executive director, and her dedicated faculty are committed to nothing less than ensuring their students are prepared to succeed in life, whether they go on to college or participate in off-site internships to develop work experience and social skills needed for successful employment.

But nowhere is the impact of the special experience of being an Arbor School student, teacher, or parent more evident than during graduation when the pomp and circumstance of the ceremony is repeatedly punctuated by unabashed tears of joy.