THE SCHOOLS OF MCKEEL ACADEMY

McKeel Academy of Technology was the first conversion charter secondary school in the state of Florida in 1998, opening their doors in 1995 as a middle school of choice. Before he retired, founding principal and superintendent Mr. Harold Maready had over 30 years of experience in public schools and is recognized as a leader in the charter school movement. The 9-member volunteer Board of Trustees, includes the Teachers of the Year from each school in an advisory role to the Board, governs and pro... vides oversight for the school system. The McKeel programs have been very successful. They have achieved ‘A’ status for almost every year they have been charter (since 2000). The school replicated their effective program with two additional campuses, McKeel Academy Central (formerly known as McKeel Elementary Academy), which has always been an ‘A’ school, and South McKeel Academy that has been an ‘A’ almost every year since it opened. They have also credited their excellent teaching staff with their exceptional results on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests, consistently scoring higher than the state and county. In 2011, each school individually, and The Schools of McKeel Academy as a system, were designated by the Florida Department of Education as High-Performing, which has resulted in more financial resources and an increase in the cap on enrollment. The Schools of McKeel Academy have over 240 staff members serving their three campuses: McKeel Academy of Technology, a 7-12 program in west Lakeland with over 1,275 students, McKeel Academy Central a K-6 program in downtown Lakeland with 570 students, and South McKeel Academy a PreK -7 program in south Lakeland with over 1,160 students. More