Seminole County Schools Approves First Community School at Midway Elementary

Midway Elementary in Sanford is set to become Seminole County's first formally designated community school after the Seminole County Public Schools Board approved a partnership agreement March 11, cementing a four-way collaboration planned to run a full decade.

The board approved the agreement between SCPS, Heart of Florida United Way, Seminole State College and the nonprofit healthcare provider True Health. The program is slated to launch at Midway for the 2026-27 school year.

Community schools operate by turning the school building itself into a service hub, pairing traditional instruction with wraparound support from nonprofit and healthcare partners. The model typically brings primary health care, mental health services, vision and dental screenings, and tutoring aligned to the school's curriculum directly onto campus.

SCPS Chairperson Robin Dehlinger framed the commitment in unusually long-term terms for a school district initiative. "It's not just a year or two: It's a ten-year commitment," Dehlinger said. She added that the durability of the model is part of its appeal. "Many of them that are successful get renewed," Dehlinger said. "We're really excited about it."

The four partners bring distinct institutional roles to the table. Heart of Florida United Way connects the school to the broader social-services network it coordinates across the region. Seminole State College brings higher-education resources and workforce pipeline capacity. True Health, a nonprofit healthcare provider, is positioned to deliver the clinical services central to the community-school model. SCPS supplies the school itself and the administrative framework tying the partnership together.

Midway Elementary sits in Sanford, a city that has historically served a high proportion of lower-income families within Seminole County, making it a natural candidate for the expanded services a community-school designation is designed to deliver. No other SCPS campuses have been formally designated under the model, and the district has not publicly indicated whether additional schools are under consideration.

The ten-year horizon distinguishes this agreement from shorter pilot programs common in other districts. Whether the partnership meets the performance standards Dehlinger alluded to will determine whether it earns the renewal she described as typical of successful community-school arrangements.