Freedom High School

2500 West Taft Vineland Road

School District

Orange County Public Schools
Grade

9-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:20
Type

public

School Map for Orange County Public Schools

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on September 30, 2024

My son is currently in his 3rd yr at this school. I honestly haven’t had a bad experience as a parent and per him, he hasn’t had a bad experience as a teacher (other than his chemistry teacher lol). He is currently in marching band and other band affiliated programs which has helped him come out of his shell n flourish socially. His brain has also been challenged with the AP n honors classes selected for him which I appreciate bc he’s done exceedingly well. They also take security seriously and keep the parent abreast of anything going on on campus that can cause concern. I will say during the mornings the drop off is horrendous, but it’s a large school in a heavily populated area so guess that should be expected. Also my son has complained about the cafeteria food being “mid”, but it’s also free so….But overall, I’m a fan.
Submitted by other on May 03, 2024

I had a horrible experience going to high school here. Everybody else I knew also had horrible experiences. Staff carries little to nothing about student mental health, and it’s very easy to fall between the cracks.
Submitted by parent on February 12, 2024

Absolutely the WORST school. The bar is so low and the teacher turn over is ridiculous. Fights weekly and certain people get dress coded..others walk freely looking like they are wearing clothes 3 sizes too small.
Submitted by student on January 20, 2024

I am currently studying as a Freshman Student in the year 2023-2027, I would like to share that my experience has been wonderful, I have been able to meet amazing professors and classmates, and my adjustment has been relatively comfortable.Positive points that I would like to highlight are that ex-curricular classes such as orchestra have an admirable staff, there is also good preparation for EOC exams such as Algebra 1 and Biology, and I have been able to meet amazing teachers and classmates.I highly recommend this school!
Submitted by student on October 26, 2023

This school is TERRIBLE.I am a current student, and I have a 504 plan for mental health reasons. Apparently, the only time my teachers knew about a 504 plan was freshman year. But since then, I've gotten new teachers, ones who did not know anything about it even though it is the schools responsibility to inform teachers of plans such as IEP or 504. The S.A.F.E. office (basically a safe place for students) also was not informed about my 504 plan and in fact was never made aware of it, it only got brought up when I had a panic attack in class and the teacher refused to send me down to the SAFE office. The school also forces kids to take AP classes and will not let them go down to honors or regular even if they are severely struggling. I asked for honors US History because I know I struggle with history subjects and they still put me in AP! The students in this school have no manners, I get called slurs in the hallways by kids I've never seen before. The guidance counselors had no clue about any colleges outside of Florida, which is extremely unhelpful for students like me who wish for information scholarship opportunities or advice for out of state college. Overall, worst school I've been to.
Submitted by other on January 18, 2022

I would give this school zero stars if I could. The school is an absolute joke. I've been at the school for one year but it was by far the worst experience I've had compared to the other schools I've been to. The homework at this school isn't taken seriously. My biggest complaint is about work when you're absent. All but one of teachers only accepted work turned in on paper in person. I was out sick for quite a bit and tried to keep up with the work. I did the assignments at home and had it all done but my grades dropped to Fs because the teachers won't accept the work online. The vast majority of teachers don't care if you pay attention or not. It does feel like they are just doing the bare minimum to get paid. Everyday was sitting in a room to pass time with the exception of 1-2 classes. When talking to school counselors about classes and college, none of them cared and wanted me to leave the room ASAP. They seemed like they did not know what they were doing and just gave very vague surface-level advice that didn't always apply to the question asked. I have gone to my counselor to ask about college stuff and found him on FaceTime with his friend. He always tries to get me out as soon as he can and tells me to just email him instead of coming in. The school doesn't prepare you well for college at all. The leadership in the school is horrible. Some of the school rules(found online) are pretty ridiculous and the consequences are even dumber. If you are even seen with an electronic device other than a school laptop, it will be taken away and it is required to have a parent come to the school to sign for it. The school isn't understanding that not everyone's parents can make it by 3pm when the people working at the office leave. For dress code violations, instead of being given clothes to change into, they give you 2 options. Call a parent to bring new clothes or sit in PASS for the rest of the day. Not everyone's parents can just show up in the middle of the day to drop off clothes. The school should keep extra clothes for kids to wear instead of sending them to PASS. PASS stands for "positive alternative to school suspension". You are forced to sit in a quiet room all day and do work. You aren't even allowed to look anywhere but in front of you or you will get yelled at. Even for something as small as ripped jeans will get you thrown into PASS. I think it's absolutely ridiculous to have my day stopped for something that minor that doesn't distract anyone.
Submitted by parent on November 16, 2021

I have been a parent of Freedom High School students with children attending there since 2016. The current principal and administration are dedicated to making Freedom High School a safe place for students to learn and be accepted for who they are. Teachers and administration want to see students succeed and other many ways for students to learn, from regular classes to tutoring to special programs to help students acheive their requirements for graduation. Maybe that's why their graduation rate is 99%. And college is not the only track that is pushed. Making sure graduates have a plan for after graduation is their main focus, whether it's college, technical schools or the military. Programs are wide ranging and varied, including Monticello, AP, Dual Enrollment, Honors classes, Childcare Studies, Culinary, Project Lead the Way and more. Concerns are investigated and acted upon as needed. Both my kids enjoyed being students there - one has graduated and one is currently attending FHS.
Submitted by parent on December 19, 2018

The administration at this school is completely clueless and does not care about your child at all. There have been several instances when I have gone to pick up my daughter and no one has a clue where she is. I even had a friend with a son who was a sophomore and since he wasn’t on track to graduate, he was kicked out and had to go to an alternative school because Freedom didn’t care enough to assist him with improving his grades. Furthermore there have been recent news reports about administration ignoring death threats to students at this school. Sadly this doesn’t surprise me at all. Give your child the education they deserve and don’t send them to Freedom.
Submitted by parent on June 14, 2018

Worst school I’ve ever seen.No child should have a poor school like this
Submitted by other on March 14, 2018

I would rate experience with this school as great with students and parents
Submitted by student on February 01, 2017

it's all about luck here. as a senior, i recognize that many of the teachers are dedicated to their jobs and try to make things work, especially in the higher-level classes, but the admin is abysmal and incompetent - the teachers hate their bosses as much as the students do. if you roll your dice the right way, you'll probably have a good time here, but otherwise life is torture.
Submitted by parent on November 16, 2015

The Staff and Administration are extremely rude at this school. They do not care at all about your needs and make no effort to assist you. The teachers basically do not care about the students success and will not try to go above and beyond for the students. They do not care whether your child is passing or failing, as long as they are getting paid. Avoid this school at all costs.
Submitted by other on December 31, 2014

As a former teacher at this school, I can't caution parents enough- AVOID THIS SCHOOL! Freedom High School was recently on a "modified lock down" for several days due to the threat of gang violence. The principal is clueless and disrespectful. Don't send your kids here.
Submitted by student on December 28, 2014

I am currently a senior and might I have to say I have seen so many things change in past 4 years. In freshmen year, since I was new, I didn't find anything change. Except for the ban of the worlds greatest cookies (thank Michelle Obama) In Sophomore year, I saw a new improvement. More food trucks in school. People had more food. New Benches, more Honors and AP Classes. In my Junior year,I took all AP classes except for 2. But all my friends would complain about their struggle in the AP classes. When I asked them why they wouldn't go to all the Honors classes, they would tell me that they took them away to save money. (We got a new Principal year) Senior year came by. They would be less and less food no matter how long you stayed in lines. We would all end up at the vending machines till they ran out of food! When we wanted to switch out of a class, the guidance counselors would just say that they is no space without even looking up. Guidance counselors have no purpose to their job. When I went to ask about scholarships, they would tell me that it is not their job when it is. I just wish I could get out of this mess easier.
Submitted by other on August 04, 2014

I am currently a junior at freedom & the staff is horrible the teachers don't care if you fail or pass they're still getting paid. One of my teachers was out of school for 3 months because she was pregnant, meanwhile we had substitutes and did nothing but read books and I still got an F on my report card. I even emailed her but no response
Submitted by student on March 12, 2014

this school is the only school that have very few honors classes.they mainly push you to do ap so they can get money.
Submitted by other on November 02, 2013

Do not enroll your child into to Monticello Program; it is a scam. The school gets money for how many students take an AP class, regardless if they fail. So they load up the children on AP classes with incompetent teachers. In my Sophomore year, my AP World History teacher did not teach us the formatting for essays (half the AP test were essays), so imagine my shock upon hearing from my friend attending another school that there was a specific format. Needless to say, I did not get a score I wanted, and almost the whole class recieved 2s and 3s. (Most colleges only accept 4s and 5s for college credit). The administration does not care if you are failing, and even when I requested to be removed from the program, they refused. All of my friends in IB at Cypress passed all their AP exams and many got 5s. I regret choosing Monticello.
Submitted by parent on October 23, 2013

The first impression a parent gets of the school is from the school receptionist. Freedom High School makes the best first impression all due to the fantastic receptionist! I have never been in that lobby without hearing a warm greeting from her and seeing her smiling. I've been in a lot of schools and been treated very poorly by the lobby staff - this is by far the most friendly, welcoming, and caring environment I've experienced. Great job FHS! You hired a winner!
Submitted by parent on October 22, 2013

I wish the school would utilize their website. As a parent trying to find out information about upcoming events, volunteer opportunities for my child, cost of tickets for an event, etc., this site is useless. The calendar of events has been blank since school started three months ago. You have to call the school with every single question because there are no newsletters. They assume all students are in quiet classrooms during announcements and that is the only way to obtain information.
Submitted by parent on April 30, 2013

As a parent of a junior, I wish I has not fallen for the Monticello mumbo jumbo. It is a ploy to excite parents and little else. My daughter has fallen behind and there is no support from the teachers or the administration. I have fought to get her out of AP classes and almost taken her out of the school all together. There is nothing to the Monticello program. Send your kids to the IB program at Cypress if they are academically gifted.