The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in Math. The lowest is 46% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Dream Lake Elementary
Dream Lake Elementary sits on North Park Avenue in Apopka's older residential core, close to the city's historic downtown and not far from Apopka Memorial Middle School. It serves children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a conventional public elementary in Orange County Public Schools, the county-wide district based in Orlando.
The school draws a racially and ethnically diverse enrollment. Hispanic students make up the largest share, followed by Black students, then white students, with smaller Asian and multiracial populations. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing this school squarely in the higher end of economic need for an elementary school. Data on English learner enrollment and students with IEPs was not available in the data provided, so parents with specific questions about language support or special education services would want to ask the school directly.
On Florida's FAST assessments for the most recent school year reported, Dream Lake's results were mixed and worth understanding clearly. Third grade math was the strongest result, with well over half of students reaching proficiency. By fourth grade that figure dropped to roughly half, and by fifth grade it fell below half. Reading followed a similar pattern: third grade ELA came in around half, and fourth and fifth grade ELA sat below that. Fifth grade science landed near the midpoint. Relative to the other districts in Orange County, Dream Lake's overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quartile of that comparison set. That is a straightforward finding, and parents who want to understand what supports the school offers students who are behind grade level, or what enrichment exists for those ahead, would be well served by asking the school about both. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say from the data whether these results are improving, holding steady, or declining.
No program information was provided in the data, so specific offerings such as gifted services, arts, or after-school programming are gaps here. Parents should ask the school directly. A graduation rate does not apply, since this school ends at fifth grade.
The neighborhood around Dream Lake is Apopka's older, established side of town. Apopka itself is one of the faster-growing submarkets in metro Orlando, publicly reported as among the top five fastest-growing in the region, with that growth concentrated in the Kelly Park Road corridor to the northwest rather than in the historic core where Dream Lake sits. The school's neighborhood retains a more settled character than the master-planned communities going up on the city's edge. Housing in the zip code is priced moderately above Florida's statewide median home value, though slightly below it on a year-over-year basis. Rents have also edged down slightly over the past year. The price-to-income ratio sits above five, meaning housing is a meaningful financial commitment relative to income even at current slightly softened prices.
Apopka is car-dependent. The city has been working to improve sidewalks and walking paths around downtown, and publicly reported plans include a connected path network linking downtown to parks and other destinations, but day-to-day life around the school relies on personal vehicles. Regional transit through Lynx does serve the area, including a transit hub downtown, though service is limited. Parks and natural areas are a genuine local asset: Wekiwa Springs State Park and Kelly Park at Rock Springs are nearby, and the city maintains its own recreation complex. Library service comes from Orange County's North Orange Branch.
District-level changes from Orange County Public Schools were searched but not confirmed in the research available, so that section was left out rather than guessed at. Parents interested in district-wide initiatives, boundary changes, or staffing trends should check directly with Orange County Public Schools.
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