Oak Ridge High School is a public secondary school in Orlando, Florida, established in 1959. The school had been rated a D or F institution by the state starting in 2000. In 2012, the school was awarded a C grade, breaking the low performance streak. In 2013, the school further improved and was awarded a B grade.
Campus
The Campus has been expanded/remodeled since the founding of the school. During the summer of 2010, demolition began on the northern side of campus as the 600 building and "Fish Farm", which had been the Tech Ed building, was torn down to make room for the new school. The students are scheduled to move into the new building on a staggered schedule during the fall semester of the 2011-2012 school year.
The Oak Ridge Pioneer Marching Band is known as the Marching Pioneers. In the 2009 marching season, the band made state semi-finals in FMBC with their show "Spanish Fantasy", and got straight superiors in FBA. They have marched in parades including the Universal Studios Christmas Parade, the Downtown Christmas Parade and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade. Former tuba player Arik Denmark II is a known innovator in the community and lead the way for the advancement of the program.
Athletics
The Oak Ridge Pioneers compete in interscholastic competition in Football, Wrestling, Girls Flag Football, Bowling, Track & Field, Soccer, Baseball, Softball, Basketball, Cross Country, Swimming, and Tennis Oak Ridge is a charter member of the Orlando Metro Conference, in which they have competed since 1962. During that time, the Pioneers have gone on to win a total of 79 Metro Championships:
The Oak Ridge High School Athletic Hall of Fame was created in the Spring of 2013 when 18 athletes and 2 coaches were recognized by the school at an afternoon student assembly, and in their honor banners of each individual were hung in the gymnasium hallway. In the spring of 2014, an additional 10 individuals including 7 athletes, 2 contributors and 1 coach were inducted and honored at a school assembly followed by a banquet that evening. The inductees received a plaque, a commemorative medallion and a Hall of Fame logo polo shirt. At the beginning of the 2014-15 school year, several individuals including past coaches, teachers and former athletes became involved with the school's administration. As a result, a Hall of Fame Board of Directors was established and immediately began preparing for the 2015 Hall of Fame Induction. In 2016, the Board of Directors applied for and received 501c3 status. It was at this point that the Board redefined the eligibility criteria and established a nomination, screening, validation and selection process. In addition, the decision was made to create a permanent display honoring the Hall of Fame members. In addition, the decision was made to create a permanent display honoring the Hall of Fame members and to locate it in the hallway of William Spoone Gymnasium. In 2016, the Hall of Fame added a Members’ Brunch to honor the new inductees and unveiled the permanent Hall of Fame display. The brunch and the unveiling of the permanent display for the new inductees has been add to the Hall of Fame Alumni Weekend list of events. One other additional event will be the naming of the Hall of Fame Student-Athlete Award recipient who will be recognized and honored at the Brunch, School Assembly and at the Induction Banquet. More information of the Hall of Fame can be found
Curriculum
Oak Ridge is home to three district-wide magnet programs: Aviation and Aerospace Engineering, Digital Media and Gaming, and Hospitality Management. In the spring of 2011 Oak Ridge became a certified Project Lead The Way school.
In 2013, Oak Ridge brought in City Year, a national non-profit and AmeriCorps organization aimed at reducing the dropout crisis in high-needs urban schools. Ten City Year corps members sported red City Year bomber jackets and now serve as full-time tutors and mentors for 9th graders. In the 2012-13 school year 75% of those students regularly tutored by City Year mentors increased their grade in that core subject.
