In the past 15 years, New Beginnings High School (NBHS) has grown from 336 students in the first year to 1,763 students in 2025-26. Today, the school has campuses in Lakeland, Winter Haven, and Fort Meade.
“When we opened the school initially, we thought the students coming to us would be those who were overaged or under-credited,” said Ashley Wright, founder of the public charter school.
“We found there were a number of students who were walking through the door who just didn’t like traditional school,” said Wright. “The class sizes were too big, the campuses were too large, and they felt like they just got lost in the mix. There were students who said, ‘If I have to go back to that environment, I’d rather quit.’”…