Lakelander Ashlee Wright-Haggins is on a mission to ensure students receive the proper education through a New Beginnings High School education program.

It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that you are where you are today because someone, somewhere, believed in you. With New Beginnings High School, founder Ashlee Wright-Haggins has offered that kind of faith to hundreds of kids in Polk County who might need it.

New Beginnings High School is a charter school founded by Wright-Haggins in 2011 and is a place where students ages 15-24 can earn their State-Recognized High School Diploma. The school has over 700 students between three campuses located in downtown Lakeland, Winter Haven, and Fort Meade. 

The school, simply put, exists as a second chance. It is an extended hand to those who need it and an opportunity for everyone in Polk County to have access to a good education because every kid deserves that. The school’s mission statement is simple, “To create the best educational environment for students who are seeking a new beginning.” 

New Beginnings offers that “new beginning” through flexible scheduling and interactive computer-based courses so that no matter what a student’s schedule might look like, they still have options for their education. The school also offers free tuition, meals, and childcare. 

Advisors are also available at the school to make sure students are staying on track, and New Beginnings even has employees who will pay visits to students’ homes if they haven’t been attending their classes. This is their way of ensuring the school’s students are prepared for their future. 

With New Beginnings High School at work, countless students in the last decade have had and continue to have an opportunity to shape a better future for themselves. Now their lives, and Polk County, are better because of it.