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Montverde Academy
Address
17235 Seventh Street Montverde , Florida 34756 United States
Coordinates	28°35′52″N81°40′29″W / 28.5978°N 81.6748°W /28.5978; -81.6748
Information
Former names	Montgomery Industrial School (1912)
Type	Private,day,boarding,college prep
Religious affiliation(s)	Nonsectarian
Established	1912; 113 years ago (1912)
Headmaster	Jon Hopman
Teaching staff	106.0 (on anFTE basis)[1]
Grades	Pre-Kindergarten–12 &postgraduate[1]
Gender	Co-educational
Enrollment	1,234 (including 46 PK students)[1] (2015–2016)
Student to teacher ratio	11.2[1]
Campus size	125 acres (510,000 m2)
Campus type	Rural
Color(s)	Purple,Gold, &Black
Athletics	21 athletic teams
Mascot	Eagle
Nickname	Eagles
Team name	Montverde Academy Eagles
Accreditation	AdvancED[2] SACS SAIS
Tuition	Boarding: $57,380 Day school students: $12,888–$23,218[3]
Website	www.montverde.org

Montverde Academy is aprivatecollege preparatory school inMontverde, Florida, United States, located in theGreater Orlando area. The school is widely known for its athletic programs, particularly soccer and basketball.^[4]

The school was founded in 1912 asMontgomery Industrial School. The school president was Henry P. Carpenter. It underwent a major expansion in 1921, when two new buildings were built for a cost of almost $40,000, including a concrete block dormitory for 200 boys and a new dining hall. The expansion was funded by donations, including $11,000 from R. Jay Arnold ofGroveland, Florida. This expansion brought the organization to a total of eight buildings on 200 acres and $150,000 worth of equipment. An observation tower above the new dormitory provided a view of Lake Apopka, Winter Garden, and Groveland. The dining facilities served 400 children.^[5] In the 1920s, sports teams were established. The teams were nicknamedThe Crackers. In 1930, a girls' dormitory was constructed with funds raised by the D.A.R.^[6]

There were 1,188 K-12 students enrolled in 2015–2016 as the information is not compiled for Pre-K students. The breakdown was:^[1]

• Native American/Alaskan – 1.4%
• Asian/Pacific islanders – 4.0%
• Black – 7.7%
• Hispanic – 9.3%
• White – 44.8%
• Multiracial – 32.8%

Some of Montverde's athletic programs compete on a national level, rather than as a member of theFlorida High School Athletic Association. Sports offered include baseball, basketball, cross country, equestrian, golf, lacrosse, powerlifting, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. In 2017, USA Today named Montverde Academy the best basketball program of the decade.^[7]

Montverde Academy has both music and theatre conservatories. Auditions are held on an annual basis. Conservatory students split the academic day between core courses and their chosen artistic discipline.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Kasey Kesselring, Montverde's Headmaster until his retirement in 2022, violated the Horse Protection Act, which resulted in a temporary disqualification from participating in equine events and a fine of $2,500.^[8]

In May 2017,Essence andFox 35 Orlando reported on a 16-year-old Black female student who wasdress-coded for herdreadlocks which the administrator claimed were against school policy.^[9][10] Following the media coverage, the current headmaster Kasey Kesselring affirmed that the student handbook would be altered to remove the "dread lock" policy and that the rule was no longer in place.^[10]

In May 2019, several Florida news stations published a story accusing Montverde Academy Dean of Students, Jerry Matos, of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a female upper school student. It remains unclear if she was a minor.^[11][12] Matos stepped down from his position immediately. The terms of his departure and current legal status are unknown. The academy promoted an existing employee to fulfill Matos's responsibilities.

On the 18th March 2025, the director of the Track and Field and Cross-Country programGerald Phiri was provisionally suspended by theAthletics Integrity Unit following a joint investigation withUSADA for the Possession of multiple prohibited substances,GW1516 andMeldonium, and for the failure to comply with theWorld Athletics Anti-Doping Rules. The investigation was triggered after 3 of his athletes had tested positive, between July 2023 and August 2024, for the prohibited substance GW1516, also known asCardarine.^[13] Between them, the Surinamese athleteIssamade Asinga that in 2023 was the first high-schooler to ever go sub-10 seconds in the 100m and with 9"89 during the final of theSouth American Athletics Championships had set the new Under 20 World Record in the100 meters.^[14]

• Official website

• Preparatory schools in Florida
• Boarding schools in Florida
• Private elementary schools in Florida
• Private middle schools in Florida
• High schools in Lake County, Florida
• Private high schools in Florida
• Educational institutions established in 1912
• 1912 establishments in Florida

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