William S. Maxey Elementary School

The attendance zone covers the older residential core of Winter Garden generally north of West Colonial Drive (SR 50), east of Dillard Street, and west of Ninth Street. This includes the historic downtown-adjacent neighborhoods built in the 1960s through 1980s. The 2018 campus relocation on E. Story Road drew rezoning that also pulled in some students from the former Dillard Street, SunRidge, and Ocoee Elementary zones. For address-specific confirmation, use the OCPS Find My School tool at ocps.net/find-my-school.

The Visual and Performing Arts magnet is open to any student in Orange County regardless of home address. Applications open in fall through the OCPS SchoolNet Choice Portal for the following school year. Students choose one of three strands: dance, visual arts, or music. There is no audition — admission is by lottery among qualified applicants. Transportation is not provided; families must arrange their own drop-off. Contact the school at (407) 877-5020 or check ocps.net for current application windows and lottery timelines.

Homes in central Winter Garden near Maxey Elementary tend to run $400K–$600K for established single-family homes in the historic neighborhoods around Story Road and the downtown core. Larger or recently renovated homes can exceed $650K. Citywide, Winter Garden's median sold price was around $625,000 in early 2026 (Redfin), but the older neighborhoods closest to the school campus tend toward the lower end of that range compared to the newer master-planned subdivisions in Horizon West. Ask Ben for a zone-filtered current list.

Maxey Elementary follows standard OCPS security protocols — controlled campus access during the school day, ID badges, and a focus on restorative practices. The school holds a Kindness Certified designation and has an active partnership with One Winter Garden, a local non-profit that provides mentors and programming for students. The surrounding Winter Garden historic neighborhoods are generally quiet, low-traffic residential streets within a short distance of the walkable downtown corridor.

The main differentiator is the VPA magnet — Dillard Street Elementary and Tildenville Elementary serve nearby zones but neither runs a district-wide arts magnet. Maxey holds a GreatSchools rating of 7/10 versus a Florida average of around 5/10; Niche grades it B and ranks it in the top 10 standout elementary schools in the Orlando metro. For families in the zone who don't opt into the magnet, Maxey functions as a solid neighborhood elementary with above-average test scores. For out-of-zone families, it's worth the lottery application if arts integration is a priority.