A college-preparatory core
High school at Ohana is built on a rigorous core in English, mathematics, science, history and social studies, and world languages, taught by a faculty that includes a historian with a doctorate, a marine scientist, a retired Air and Missile Defense colonel, and English teachers with graduate degrees in writing. Every core course is NCAA-approved, so student-athletes who hope to compete in college are covered.
Our partnership with Kaplan adds Advanced Placement courses, nationally recognized SAT and ACT preparation, and career-readiness tools, with dedicated test-prep courses in the schedule rather than tacked on after school. Students also take dual-enrollment and online courses for college credit when they're ready for more.
Students who can hold a room
Because every project ends in a presentation, Ohana students get years of practice explaining their work to adults. Government, personal finance, and debate are taught by a teacher who co-founded a Grammy-winning record label, and the National Honor Society and Student Council give students real responsibility for the school's life.
The programs that set Ohana apart
Required internships
Every high school student completes an internship. Students have worked in veterinary and law offices, marketing agencies, the Florida House of Representatives page program, and the U.S. Congress.
The internship programRock on the Road
High school musicians write original songs all year, record in the studio on campus, and plan and run real tours, performing at schools, coffee shops, and events, with an annual trip to Nashville.
Ohana Records and the tourAerospace and robotics
Students earn pilot ground-school credentials, fly the simulators, design and launch rockets, operate drones, and build competition robots in AutoCAD and the STEM lab.
Inside the STEM labCultural trips
Every year students have the option of a cultural trip tied to the curriculum. Recent trips have gone to France for language, and to Nicaragua and Peru for service and immersion.
Where we've beenCommunity service
Four service days a year with partners like Food For Thought, Alaqua Animal Refuge, and Caring and Sharing of South Walton, plus ongoing work with our sister school in Nicaragua.
How students serveClubs and athletics
HOSA medical skills, robotics, National Honor Society, culinary, e-sports, golf, and more. Students who want to compete play with local public school teams.
Clubs and athleticsTesting and college guidance
Students begin the PSAT in 8th grade. In 10th and 11th grade they take the PSAT/NMSQT, which qualifies juniors for the National Merit Scholarship Program, and every high school student receives targeted SAT and ACT preparation through Kaplan resources and dedicated courses. Our Director of Counseling and Student Services works with students and families on course selection, testing, and the college search from 9th grade on.
A schedule built to flex
Students who train seriously in athletics, dance, music, or the arts need a school that works with those commitments, not against them. Small classes and a project-based program let us build a schedule around a student's training, performances, or competition travel while keeping the academic record colleges expect.
Where Ohana graduates go
Ohana alumni have gone on to study dance at the University of Florida and perform professionally in New York, to teach and perform music, to launch nonprofits as sophomores, and to provide medical care in Cusco and the Sacred Valley of Peru. The through-line is a graduate who already knows what it feels like to do real work and be taken seriously for it.
Ohana's flexibility allowed me to balance academics with my passion for dance. After graduating, I went on to study dance at the University of Florida, which prepared me to pursue my dream. Today I'm proud to be living that dream as a professional dancer in New York City.Ellie Swainhart, Ohana Class of 2016