Vanguard School (Florida)

The Vanguard School
Address
22000 US 27 Lake Wales, FL Central Florida Lake Wales , FL 33859 United States
Information
School type	Private, Nonprofit, Neurodiverse, Boarding school, and Day School
Motto	Preparing diverse learners to thrive in a diverse world.
Established	1966
Founder	Harry Nelson
Dean	Dr. Jae Allen
Head of school	Mr. L. Shannon Graves
Grades	6th to 12th
Gender	All Gender
Age	11 to 20
Average class size	6 to 8 students
Student to teacher ratio	6-8:1 (median number)
Language	English
Campus size	Approximately 77 Acres
Campus type	Semi-rural
Colour(s)	Navy and White
Athletics	Tennis, Basketball, Soccer, Golf, Swimming, Track and Field, Cross Country, Weightlifting, Archery
Mascot	Panthers
Accreditation	FCIS, Cognia
Phone Number:	(863) 676-6091
Website	http://www.vanguardschool.org/

The Vanguard School is an independent nonprofit boarding and day school community for students, grades 6-12, from around the US and internationally. It is accredited through FCIS and Cognia.

History

In 1960, Dr. Milton Brutten, an expert in dyslexia, and Dr. Henry Evans founded The Vanguard School in suburban Philadelphia.

Elinor "Ellie" Carnill-Steinhilber (1924–2018) and her husband William "Bill" Carnill II (d. 1989) and friends founded The Vanguard School in Lake Wales, FL. Carnill-Steinhilber was a first grade teacher. One of her children attended the day program at The Vanguard School in Pennsylvania. Wanting to live in Florida full time, Ellie and Bill moved with their two children to Mt Lake in Lake Wales, Florida in 1958.

In 1975, The Vanguard School was accredited by the Florida Council of Independent Schools, and the Vanguard School of Lake Wales, Florida was incorporated as an Independent Florida Nonprofit Organization. In 1983, the school was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Controversy

A family sued the school for negligence in 2011 and settled out of court two years later. The settlement included a gag order for both the school and the family.

References

retrieved 2023-09-29