Rochelle School of the Arts

Rochelle School of the Arts is a K-8 magnet school in Lakeland, Florida that has a specific focus on art-related subjects. It offers a variety of classes, such as Art, Band, Dance, Orchestra, Theatre, and Vocal. Rochelle has many different other classes that students can participate in such as Keyboard, Journalism, Television Production, Robotics, Theatre Tech, Musical Theatre, Art, Women's Choir, Men's Choir, Treble Choir, Show Choir, Physical Education and Spanish. There are many clubs at Rochelle that do not have a class such as, Art Club, Chess Club, Glee Club, Junior Thespians, National Junior Honor Society, Math Counts, Golf Club, Recycling Squad, and Robotics.HistoryBefore the 24th Amendment was established Rochelle School of the Arts was a segregated black high school known as Rochelle High School, it was named for a noted black Polk County educator William A. Rochelle. William A. Rochelle migrated to Lakeland and made a mark in the field of education. When segregation ended, Rochelle was closed down and later reopened then turned into an art school.When Rochelle School of the Arts opened in 1992 as a K-8 Performing Arts school, it was the first of its kind in the State of Florida, and the second of its kind in the country. It has been a model for the various other performing arts elementary and middle schools in the state that have followed.The school has very diverse students and teachers. The students at Rochelle have high expectations from the teachers and staff. They were an "A" school formerly, but changed when the new principals arrived in the 2012–13 school year. They are now a "B" school. They would have been a "C" school but due to complications with the "FCAT" the grade was raised to "B" their goal is to get it back up to an "A" during the 2013–14 school year.