Established neighborhoods like Dr. Phillips and College Park don’t need more schools. So what happens when more students are expected than seats available?

At schools including Dr. Phillips Elementary, for example, projections anticipate student enrollment that could push the school over its official capacity.

Sometimes rezoning or temporary portable classrooms can solve a space crunch. But if portable classrooms would be needed long-term, or there isn’t extra space nearby, OCPS is turning to a third option: classroom additions.

That’s what the school community and district leadership thought would work best for DPES, which had room to expand on campus – plus a capacity lower than most elementary schools built by OCPS in recent years. 

“Parents were truly concerned about where their kids might have to go to school because of the influx of new students,” said Opal Leighvard, principal at Dr. Phillips Elementary. “But they were beyond happy when the school district actively worked with them to create a solution that will allow their children’s educational journeys to continue at Dr. Phillips,” she said.

Construction, which began in 2024, will add 10 more classrooms and a new resource room to the school, providing learning opportunities for 177 additional students. The project will also provide upgrades to the school’s fire alarm and security systems, new hard court play areas, additional covered walkways, cafeteria renovations and increased parking. And a big bonus - the project will eliminate all portable classrooms on campus. The addition is expected to be open to teachers and students in the 2026-27 school year.

“Our community is thrilled to watch these amazing changes happening at Dr. Phillips Elementary,”Leighvard said.

Dr. Phillips Elementary isn’t the only school benefiting from the district’s growing focus on targeted campus expansion.

The Facilities Department is also finishing classroom additions at College Park Middle, which will increase capacity by 222 desks. In 2007, the school got concrete portables instead of a new classroom building when the district construction program faced a funding crunch.

Other schools with proposed classroom additions include Cypress Creek and Oak Ridge high schools.

Patricia Noel, who teaches art at College Park Middle, will have her program housed in the school’s new wing. She is passionate about the benefits these classrooms will bring to students at the school.

“This has been the first year for our art program, which has forced us to make do with holding class in an old science room,” said Noel. “I cannot wait to see just how much these young artists flourish in a fully functioning art classroom. Their overall potential in this space will be limitless, and I am excited for them to experience that for themselves.”

Noel isn’t the only one thrilled to see how the new classrooms will benefit young minds in Orange County.

“What I love most about working in facilities for OCPS is the joy we bring to students and our community when we work with them to create the best solutions to providing a top-notch environment for our kids to learn and grow in,” said Rory Salimbene, Chief Facilities Officer. “This ability to find the best solutions for students is part of what makes the public education system and our school district so amazing!”