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History

School History


 

The ministry of Orlando Christian Prep is an extension of the work of Orlando Baptist Church. Orlando Baptist Church was founded in 1958 under the leadership of Pastor Jewell Smith. In 1960, the church began the Christian school ministry with the development of a Kindergarten program. The Christian school ministry grew over the years to include a pre-school through the twelfth-grade student body. In 1987, Dr. David Janney was called to Pastor the church. His philosophy of “excellence in all we do” encouraged the Deacon Board to re-examine the effectiveness of the Christian school program at that time. After much prayer, the Deacons made the decision to reduce the school to a pre-school and elementary school only. Their goal was to seek quality, certified staff and administrators, and a quality educational program. In 1989, with an enrollment of 123 students, Mrs. Janet Darroch was hired as the Principal of the preschool through fifth grade. During the next five years, Mrs. Darroch successfully established a reputation for academic excellence within the community.

 

In 1994, with an enrollment of 175 students, Dr. Mike Zobel was added to the administrative team for the purpose of expanding development of the school to twelfth-grade and obtaining accreditation with FACCS (Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools). In 1996, FACCS accreditation was granted and had successfully been maintained to the present. OCP’s first graduating class was in 2000, and the school has experienced steady growth over the years to our enrollment of over 500 students. Our graduates have attended a wide range of Christian and secular universities. 

 

In November of 2003, Pastor David Janney left the ministry of Orlando Baptist Church to found a missions organization, World Hope. Pastor Janney’s heart and involvement in Orlando Baptist Church was always evident, and he returned as Senior Pastor of Orlando Baptist Church and as the President of Orlando Christian Prep in 2007. The school and church once again experienced growth and focused on the ministry of developing “World Changers” for Christ. In 2016, Pastor Dustin Janney was hired as the Senior Pastor of Orlando Baptist Church and the President of Orlando Christian Prep. 

 

Jennie Jacobson began leading the administrative team of Orlando Christian Prep as principal in 2018. Her pursuit of excellence and desire to see the school reach even higher levels in all areas has led to a period of record growth, both in student enrollment and in the opportunities available to every student on our campus. As we look ahead to the future of Orlando Christian Prep, her vision for the expansion of our campus and the continued growth of our academic, athletic, and fine arts offerings, is sure to lead us into the greatest period yet in our school’s distinguished history.

 

Orlando Christian Prep offers a college-preparatory curriculum. This includes a variety of honors courses and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. These AP classes give the students an opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school. In addition to those offerings, we also give students the ability to take dual enrollment college courses, both through Valencia State and Southeastern University. Graduates of Orlando Christian Prep have the opportunity to complete many college credit hours before high school graduation. OCP uses a wide variety of curriculum publishers to obtain the very best curriculum possible for our students.  All curriculum is taught from a Christian perspective to help students obtain a biblical worldview found in the word of God.