Mater Academy Narcoossee: How Lake Nona's K-12 Charter School Works, From the Lottery to the High School

A tuition-free public charter campus that opened in 2022 and now runs from kindergarten through high school. How admission works, what the state measures, and what to check before you count on a seat.

By David Myers, Broker Associate · NonaOrlandoProperties.com · Last updated September 2026

Mater Academy Narcoossee is a tuition-free public charter school at 8315 Academy Drive, Orlando, FL 32827, in Orange County Public Schools. The campus opened in August 2022 and has two state-registered schools: Mater Academy Narcoossee for kindergarten through 8th grade and Mater Academy Narcoossee High School for grades 9 to 12. Federal data show 1,096 students in the K-8 school and 185 in the high school in 2024-25. Admission is by application and, when a grade is oversubscribed, a random lottery; current students and siblings of enrolled students are admitted automatically. Enrolling at Mater does not change a home's zoned OCPS schools.

For Lake Nona families, Mater Academy Narcoossee is the charter option that comes up most, and it is often misunderstood. It is not private, it does not charge tuition, and living nearby does not guarantee a seat.

An earlier version of this post described it as a K-8 school and made broad claims about Mater schools outperforming their neighbors. This update replaces those claims with what can be checked: what the campus now includes, how admission works, where to find its state results, and what it means for a home purchase.

What is Mater Academy Narcoossee?

It is a tuition-free public charter school in Orange County Public Schools, at 8315 Academy Drive, Orlando, that opened in August 2022 and now serves kindergarten through 12th grade.

The campus is registered as two schools. Mater Academy Narcoossee covers kindergarten through 8th grade, and Mater Academy Narcoossee High School covers grades 9 to 12, both at the same address. The high school is young: federal data for 2024-25 show students in grades 9, 10 and 11 and none yet in 12th grade.

Some sources, including an earlier version of this post, describe the school as K-8 only. That was the elementary and middle school's grade span, but the campus has a separate high school that the earlier post left out.

Is Mater Academy Narcoossee a private school?

No. It is a public charter school: tuition-free, funded with public money, authorized by Orange County Public Schools, and graded by the state like any other public school.

The school is operated by Mater Academy, Inc., a nonprofit network of charter schools that began in Miami-Dade County. Mater partners with Academica, a for-profit education management company, which is worth knowing if you care how a school is run.

The earlier version of this post said Mater schools consistently outperform surrounding public schools in test scores, graduation rates and parent satisfaction. We could not support that as a general claim, and it cannot apply to this campus's graduation rate, since its high school had not yet graduated a class when that post was written. Judge this school on its own state results, below.

How do you get into Mater Academy Narcoossee?

Families apply directly to the school; if a grade gets more applications than seats, the school holds a random lottery and places everyone else on a ranked waiting list.

Under the school's published enrollment policy, some students skip the lottery and are admitted automatically if they file the school's intent-to-return form before the lottery date: current students, siblings of enrolled or accepted students, children of employees, children of governing board members, and children of active-duty military members. The policy notes that during a federal grant period these preferences can be narrowed.

The practical effect is that open seats in the lower grades can fill with siblings before the lottery is drawn, so the odds for a new family vary by grade and by year.

What grade has the state given Mater Academy Narcoossee?

As a public school, it receives an annual FLDOE school grade, which is on the state's report card for the school.

[VERIFY: FLDOE school grades for Mater Academy Narcoossee (state school number 1018) for each year since 2022-23, and whether the high school (1019) has received a grade yet.]

For comparison, nearby district middle schools have strong records: Innovation Middle has earned an A every year it has been graded, and Lake Nona Middle earned an A from 2021-22 through 2025-26. A family choosing Mater is usually choosing its K-12 structure and programs, not escaping weak zoned schools.

Does enrolling at Mater change your zoned public school?

No. Your home address still determines your zoned OCPS schools, whether or not your child attends Mater.

That matters for two reasons. If your child does not get a seat in the lottery, the zoned school is where they will go. And if you later leave Mater, you return to the zoned school for your address, which may have changed as Lake Nona grows. Check any address in OCPS Find My School before you buy, because assignments are set by OCPS and can change.

The earlier version of this post said the school was within easy reach of Laureate Park and Eagle Creek. Distance does not affect admission at Mater; the lottery does.

Does Mater Academy Narcoossee offer bus service?

The school's website has a bus application for families who want transportation; ask the school where routes run before counting on a stop near your home.

The application says a student who already rides does not need to reapply and that additional children in a household need their own forms.

Which Lake Nona neighborhoods are near Mater Academy Narcoossee?

The campus is on Academy Drive off the Narcoossee Road corridor, about 1.5 miles from Northlake Park Community School, according to GreatSchools.

[VERIFY: David to confirm the neighborhoods closest to 8315 Academy Drive, with approximate mileage.]

Because admission is by lottery, living nearby helps with the commute, not with getting in. Families weighing Mater against a private option can compare it with Nona Park Montessori, which charges tuition and has no state grade.

What the Neighbors Know

Lake Nona families often talk about charter schools as if they were zoned, and buyers sometimes assume a home near Mater comes with a seat. It does not. The practical advice is about timing: apply in the window for the year you move, and plan around your zoned school until you have an offer of a seat. For the rest of the public, charter and private picture, start at the Lake Nona schools hub.

Official Sources

• Mater Academy Narcoossee (K-8)
• Mater Academy Narcoossee High School
• FLDOE school report card: Mater Academy Narcoossee
• NCES school profile: Mater Academy Narcoossee
• OCPS Find My School

Buying or selling in Lake Nona? Call/Text David Myers at 407.801.3286 or use the contact form.