As you evaluate private schools in Florida, it can help to keep in mind the main reasons you’re choosing a private school over a public school. When you can articulate the aspects of an education that are most important to you and your child, you can better filter through the private schools in your area.
For some families, it’s about academic rigor. Their child isn’t getting the curriculum they need to remain engaged in their classes and prepare them for university.
For others, the focus is on finding a school that can help accommodate their child’s learning differences — such as ADHD or dyslexia. Some families want a tight-knit campus with a smaller student-to-teacher ratio or for their child to have a specific focus as part of their education (like a focus in STEM or world languages).
Here are some questions that can help:
- Does class size matter? With smaller class sizes, teachers can more easily connect with students and spend more time with each member of the class.
- Do you need a flexible schedule? Some families need more flexibility in their class schedule, to accommodate their child that may be part of an athletic program, a theatre program, or an outpatient behavioral program. Plus, some students may do better having more classes on specific days, with more days off interspersed throughout the week.
- What type of social atmosphere is important to you? Socializing is a key part of receiving an education — some families will want a school with a strong focus on groups/events, field trips, community service options or clubs.
- Is your child on a specific path to college? The private school you choose may depend on if your child is planning on attending an Ivy League school or if they want to go to a community college or vocational school after high school.
Best private schools in Florida
- Fusion Academy
- Palmer Trinity School
- The Bolles School
- Carrollwood Day School
- South Florida Montessori Academy
- Waldorf School of Palm Beach
1. Fusion Academy
Best Private School for Personalized Learning
Fusion Academy is a private middle school and high school where students have 1-to-1 classes with their teachers. This lets us cater to all types of students, including those who are seeking an academically rigorous curriculum and those who need specialized accommodation to work with their unique learning style or learning disorder.
We also offer:
- Different class types (including college preparatory classes and AP® courses)
- Flexible schedules
- Full-time or part-time classes
- Tutoring/mentoring
- Community events, field trips, clubs
In Florida, we have 4 campuses, including Miami, Boca Raton, Palm Beach Gardens and Pembroke Pines:
We also offer open enrollment, so you can enroll anytime throughout the year. Open enrollment is a big win for students at Fusion, because as they progress through their curriculum they can advance onto the next course, without having to wait for official semester start times.
At Fusion, you can choose from:
- College preparatory courses
- Honors courses
- AP® courses (where students can earn college credit depending on their AP test scores)
We also offer Essential courses. These are non-college preparatory courses. They fill the requirements for high school graduation, but they’re not geared at preparing a student for college. A student’s schedule may consist of one of each type of courses — a college preparatory course, an AP® course, and an Essential course.
You can request more information for your preferred campus in Florida, or keep reading to learn more about what makes Fusion Academy a unique and life-changing private school.
Small, 1:1 Class Size (and Small, Tight-Knit Campuses)
The typical Fusion campus has a small student body. Over the years, we’ve found that Fusion campuses max out at around 100 students, as our model of 1-to-1 learning doesn’t scale beyond that. We want highly customized learning environments for our students with teachers who have the bandwidth to give each student the time and focus they deserve.
During our enrollment process, potential students and their families generally meet with the Head of School (Fusion Academy’s principal equivalent). During this meeting, the focus is to figure out what is best for the student and whether or not a Fusion Academy campus is the best fit.
Personalized Learning
Fusion Academy stands out amongst other private schools with the emphasis on personalized learning. We offer 1-to-1 classes; this means one teacher is working with a student, creating a customized approach to how learning happens. We also offer small group classes, of 2–5 students.
The personalization occurs at two levels:
- How the teacher tailors the instruction to the individual student’s learning style.
- How the student’s overall class schedule is tailored to their needs.
How Personalized Instruction Works
Generally, our classes contain a mix of:
- Instruction: The student listens to the teacher explain something, or watches a video explanation.
- Work: The student practices what they’ve learned, independently of the teacher.
- Collaboration: Either through discussions with the teacher or answering questions together on the whiteboard.
To help personalize instruction, teachers take time to understand each student individually and adapts according to their learning preferences. For example, if a student is a visual learner, the teacher might prepare more graphics, charts and videos. But, for auditory learners, the teacher might read the lesson aloud instead.
Additionally, our personalized learning is a great fit for students with a dedicated focus or area of interest. This is because we offer Endorsements at Fusion.
Endorsements show a student’s commitment to a field of study before graduating. This endorsement is reflected in their transcripts and demonstrates that these students have gone above and beyond the general requirements for graduation.
Depending on the state you’re located in, we offer endorsements for:
- STEM – Students get a deeper look at all of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and seek solutions to better the world around them.
- STEM-TECH – This is similar to STEM, but has a stronger focus on technology and requires computer science classes.
- World Language – This endorsement shows a student’s commitment to learning languages. It requires 60 credits in world languages, with a minimum level 4 in one language.
- Humanities – To receive this endorsement, a student will take 10 English electives, 10 history electives, 10 art/social studies electives, reach level 3 in a world language (like Spanish, German, French, or Korean), or 10 approved computer programming electives.
- Visual & Performing Arts – This endorsement helps students focus on building their craft and a portfolio, as well as instilling in them business skills needed to pursue a future in a creative field. To get this endorsement, a student needs 30 credits of Visual & Performing Arts, 5 business or social entrepreneurship credits, 5 portfolio credits, and 10 approved endorsement electives.
- Leadership – This endorsement signals that a student has developed their voice and codified how they want to impact others. Students strengthen their communication skills, entrepreneurship skills, and engage in real world experience.
How Personalized Schedules Work
Student schedules are personalized based on individual needs identified during the admissions process. For example, if a student is an early riser, we might have them start classes at 9:30am. They’d then alternate each hour between classes and time spent in the Homework Café. Students are also given opportunities to be together in groups. For example at Pembroke Pines, the entire campus has lunch together between 12:30pm and 1:30pm.
A day in the life of a Fusion student might look something like this:
Benefits of Personalized Learning
All students can benefit from personalized learning:
- Students who struggle with executive functioning can get extra support 1-to-1 and can even take a dedicated executive functioning skills class
- Students with ADHD can receive lots of hands-on, interactive learning in a 1-to-1 environment, punctuated by short breaks that involve movement
- Gifted students can move more quickly with accelerated classes, or dive deeper into their fields of interest through Honors or AP classes.
Social Life on Fusion Campuses
Fusion Academy creates a welcoming and sociable environment on its campuses. We have dedicated spaces for studying and socializing. Our campuses also have clubs, events, guest speakers, and field trips.
Let’s take a look at life on campus for a student.
The Homework Cafés
Each Fusion campus has two Homework Cafés, both staffed by a teacher at all times:
- A quiet space for doing homework
- A social space
We find that students like coming to the social Homework Café to do their homework between classes. After a 1-to-1 class, there’s something nice about working next to your friends, even if they have different assignments. The social Homework Café is also the place where we eat lunch and organize student clubs.
If students need a calmer, less stimulating environment to study, they can also go to the quiet Homework Café. This allows them to complete homework and use their time at home for resting and connecting with family and friends.
Student Clubs
Each Fusion campus offers an array of clubs and activities. These are driven by our students’ interests, and typically take place during the lunch hour, once or twice a week.
For example, at Pembroke Pines, here are some of our clubs:
- Cooking
- Jam session
- College and career prep
- Debate
Field Trips and Community Service
We organize regular field trips that align with student interests. For example, the Pembroke Pines campus recently organized a trip to the Frost Museum in Miami. Other campuses have arranged trips to local animal shelters and hiking expeditions.
It’s also important to us that we instill in students a sense of responsibility for their wider community. At Pembroke Pines, we have:
- Organized a panel about the dangers of overachievement culture for adolescents
- Created a Thanksgiving basket for a local women’s shelter
- Adopted a family for Christmas and got them gifts for the season
Transparent Student Progress
At Fusion, there’s complete transparency between teachers, students, and parents.
Families get daily recaps that share what students learned, together with any observations related to their emotional development. These recaps are also accessible by other teachers. Let’s say your child is struggling with memory recall and remaining focused during math. Their math teacher can check the student’s daily recaps from other classes, looking to find which methods work best for them or which ones are potentially triggering for a student.
If a student has a therapist, we ask parents directly if they’re ok with information being shared openly between Fusion and the therapist, so that both parties can maximize the student’s well-being.
This type of honest dialog begins from the first moment you step foot on a Fusion campus. Our Head of School will get to know your family and your child’s needs, so that we can customize our approach accordingly. We ask questions like:
- What was your child’s previous experience at school like?
- Is there a particular teacher who was able to connect with your child? How did they do that?
- How often does your child act out emotionally? What are the triggers for that?
In those initial conversations we look for families who are ready for something new and transformational, instead of the traditional education system.
Post Secondary Counseling
We offer a range of post-secondary counseling services tailored to each student’s academic journey and future goals. These services are available no matter which campus you choose, as we have a dedicated team of advisors and counselors that work with all of our students.
Our counselors often help students with:
- Post-secondary planning
- Resume creation and building
- Course selection
- College prep timeline review
- SAT/ACT testing timeline review
- Practice SAT/ACT test support
- Help with applying for scholarships and financial aid
- Help with reviewing and completing college applications
- College admissions interview preparation
For students who are interested in “non-traditional paths,” our counselors can advise on:
- Gap years: There are many programs a student can find across the country, including programs that focus on animal welfare, conservation, language studies, coding, cultural immersion, and more. Our advisors can help you find a program that relates to your interest, and also helps progress your academic career and personal development.
- Vocational schools: These are programs such as cosmetology, culinary arts, carpentry, medical assisting, HVAC, and hotel management.
- Military service: Our counselors can help students understand the process of enlisting in a specific military branch. This includes eligibility and testing requirements, meeting with recruiters, boot camp, job specialities, and officer training.
- Transition plans: Transitional programs are community-based and support students as they shift from the role of a student to that of an independent adult. These can be great options for students who need more continued support after high school.
If Fusion Academy sounds like the right school for your family, you can learn more here.
2. Palmer Trinity School
Palmer Trinity is an Episcopal school for students in grades 6–12 located in Palmetto Bay, just south of downtown Miami. The school aims to develop the whole person, an approach reflected in its motto of “Virtus, Humanitas, et Spiritus.”
Palmer Trinity is a good school to choose if you’re looking for academic excellence. Most departments offer Honors courses, and there are also 27 AP classes to choose from. With a student-teacher ratio of 15:1, there’s plenty of support available for each student. Palmer Trinity is particularly strong in computer science, and taking at least one semester is actually a graduation requirement!
This school also offers an international education. 53 different countries are represented across the student body, and the school offers the International Baccalaureate (IB), which is well-regarded across the world. Many of the prestigious colleges and universities that students end up attending after graduation are out of state, such as Harvard, Stanford, and even King’s College, London.
Outside academic life, this school is known for its strength in the arts, with 38 performing arts classes on offer. Palmer Trinity students are also deeply involved in caring for their local community, and have invested an astonishing 30,000 hours in community service.
3. The Bolles School
The Bolles School is a college preparatory school for students in grades pre-K through 12, based in Jacksonville. This is a large school with 1,765 students spread across 4 campuses. Most are day students, although there is a small boarding contingent as well.
In order to graduate from upper school, students need to take a mixture of English, math, and science. There are also less stringent requirements in world history, US history, fine arts and physical education. Many students go on to take college-level AP courses, and Bolles offers 30 such courses on campus with hundreds more online.
Bolles is known internationally for its extraordinary sporting facilities, which have produced 67 Olympians and 23 professional athletes across major leagues, such as the NBA. The school offers every sport one might think of, including football, basketball, soccer, cheerleading, volleyball, golf, and swimming!
There’s also a strong arts tradition at Bolles. As many as 70% of middle and upper school students participate in the arts, and all lower school students take music, art and drama. The school regularly puts on dance performances, concerts, and drama showcases. There are even art galleries — 13 of them last year alone.
4. Carrollwood Day School
Carrollwood Day School is a co-ed school in Tampa for students between the ages of 2 and 18. This is a highly international school, with all students learning a foreign language starting in kindergarten and the IB curriculum is offered in all grades.
The academic education at Carrollwood is world-class. In 2019, the school earned membership of the prestigious Cum Laude society, becoming one of only 15 such IB schools across the entire US. The vast majority of students go on to attend colleges both in Florida and out of state, and the school offers excellent college counseling that helps make this a reality. A particular highlight of the curriculum is the Personal Project that each student has to complete in 10th grade, which is a product of their individuality and creativity.
Carrollwood offers 65 different extracurricular clubs and activities. Around 20 of these are sports-related, with the school demonstrating particular strength in soccer and volleyball. The highlight of Carrollwood’s sports facilities is the 11,000 square foot gymnasium, which is an excellent place to train.
The school’s visual arts offerings are likewise highly regarded, and students are exposed to mediums like painting, sculpture, and digital art from a young age. Students also put on theatrical productions in various genres throughout the year.
5. South Florida Montessori Academy
South Florida Montessori Academy (SFMA) is a Montessori school in Tamarac for students from 18 months to age 12. The school offers bilingual programs with Spanish immersion, and both English and Spanish are spoken daily.
As is typical for a Montessori school, students are taught in mixed-age classrooms so that younger students can learn from their older peers. Each classroom is carefully curated to stimulate children’s creativity, with a variety of wooden Montessori materials to play with. On top of classroom learning, the school also organizes regular excursions, hikes, and nature walks.
SFMA aims to educate the whole child, so that they grow up to become confident, socially responsible adults. The curriculum comprises science, math, Spanish, and geometry as core subjects. Students can also learn about geography, world cultures, and history. Academically, SFMA is accredited by the Florida Department of Education.
6. Waldorf School of Palm Beach
Waldorf School of Palm Beach (WSPB) is a Waldorf school supporting learners between Pre-K and 8th grade on two beautiful campuses in Boca Raton. Although currently an elementary and middle school, WSPB will start educating 9th graders in the 2025–2026 school year, with a goal to add a full high school in the future.
Students are separated by grade, with each grade having a specially-designed curriculum to meet them where they’re at. Curriculum is typically based on a foundation of English, math, science, and social studies. Students also have the possibility to learn German and Spanish as foreign languages. Subjects like music, woodwork, and knitting are available to stimulate creative imagination.
As is typical of a Waldorf school, WSPB frequently integrates movement into learning. The school sees this as a way to foster self-confidence and pro-social behavior. Nature also plays a major role in this school, both in terms of natural objects to explore in the classroom and in terms of excursions into the outside world.
Find the Right Private School for Your Child
We hope there’s a school in this list that’s a good fit for your child.
If you’re looking for a private school in Florida that personalizes the learning experience to your child’s individual needs, definitely consider taking a look at Fusion.
Reach out today to find out more about your nearest Fusion campus!
