Oxbridge Academy (Florida)

Oxbridge Academy Foundation, Inc.
Location
3151 North Military Trail
West Palm Beach, Florida

United States

26°43′24″N 80°06′45″W / 26.7234°N 80.1125°W / 26.7234; -80.1125
Information
TypePrivate, day, college preparatory school
MottoFor A Lifetime
Religious affiliation
Nonsectarian
Established2011
FounderWilliam L. Koch
NCES School ID
A1501048
Principal
Ralph Maurer
Faculty62
Grades6–12
GenderCo-educational
Enrollment618 (2025–26)
Student to teacher ratio
10:1
Campus size
54 acres
Campus type
Suburban
ColorsRed, White, Navy Blue
     
Athletics conference
Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA)
MascotThunderwolf
NicknameThunderwolves
PublicationOxbridge Today
School fees
New student: $1,575
Annual student fee: $2,500
TuitionMiddle school: $34,500
Upper school: $41,500
Websitewww.oapb.org

Oxbridge Academy is a private, coeducational, college-preparatory middle and high school in West Palm Beach, Florida, United States. The school, managed by the Oxbridge Academy Foundation, Inc., serves grades 6–12.

History

The school was established in 2011 with a $50 million donation from Bill Koch. Koch's goal was to create a school for his own children where academically gifted students of all socioeconomic backgrounds could do hands-on projects and learn by problem solving, a place where students ruled. Oxbridge was opened in under a year on a 45-acre campus that once held a Jewish community center. By 2016, Koch had donated more than $75 million to the school.

By 2014, the school added a football team at the request of the student body. In April 2016, Koch placed the school's president and chief executive, Robert Parsons, on paid leave pending an internal investigation into allegations of harassment, and announced that Academic Dean John Klemme would serve as the school's president. Parsons' compensation package was worth $1 million, with an annual salary of about $600,000 per year.

On May 27, 2016, Koch fired Parsons and declined to renew the contracts of director of athletics Craig Sponsky and the football coach Doug Socha; Koch noted that a "power elites group" in the school "ran the asylum".

In July 2016, David Rosow was elected president and CEO of Oxbridge Academy.

In November 2017, Koch introduced Ralph Maurer as the school's next head of school at an open house on campus. Maurer had served for four years as headmaster of the International School Nido de Aguilas in Santiago, Chile. He was chosen after a six-month international search conducted by the firm Carney Sandoe & Associates with a committee of parents, faculty and trustees. Maurer joined the school as head of school–elect in January 2018 and became head of school in July 2018, succeeding Klemme, who returned to teaching English at the school.

On June 20, 2018, the school announced that it was ending its football program after a number of its players transferred to other schools. The program was revived for the 2023–24 school year.

In April 2019, eleven Oxbridge students attended the China (Shanghai) International Technology Fair and studied coding at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, in a trip described as a pilot for an artificial intelligence curriculum that the school planned to launch with three courses that fall.

In January 2021, during its tenth-anniversary year, the school announced that it would add a middle school program for seventh and eighth grades beginning in August 2021. By the 2025–26 school year, the school enrolled 618 students, including 124 in a middle school serving grades 6–8.

In August 2026, the school extended a no-phone policy already used in its middle school to students in grades 9–12, prohibiting phone use throughout the school day.

In November 2026, amid flooding from severe weather in Palm Beach County, the school's campus was closed on November 4 and classes were held virtually on November 5.

Athletics

In May 2025, the school announced a $1.5 million gift from an anonymous donor to build a baseball complex on its campus. In October 2026, Oxbridge unveiled its first on-campus baseball field, built with a $1.8 million anonymous donation next to the school. The team had previously practiced off campus at Dyer Park and on the school's soccer field. A ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony was scheduled for October 20, 2026, with the team's first games on the field planned for spring 2027.

In May 2026, the girls' softball team won the school's first state championship in the sport, defeating Cornerstone Charter Academy 5–1 in the title game under coach Kevin Drake.

Athletics recruiting violations

In 2016, the school self-reported athletic recruiting violations and forfeited all athletic victories for the previous two years, including three FHSAA district championships.

Notable alumni

References

  1. 1 2 "Oxbridge Announces New Head Of School". Town-Crier. Wellington, Florida. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  2. ↑ Oxbridge Academy Foundation, Inc., Mar. 17, 2019
  3. 1 2 "School Profile 2025–26" (PDF). Oxbridge Academy. 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  4. ↑ "Tuition & Affordability". oapb.org. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Frances Robles, Upheaval Amid ‘Alarming’ Revelations at William Koch’s Florida School, The New York Times, June 1, 2016.
  6. ↑ William Koch page 32 April 2013 Florida Trend magazine
  7. ↑ Kevin Thompson Oxbridge Academy near West Palm Beach seeks to be region's 'critical thinking' private school June 5, 2011 Palm Beach Post
  8. ↑ Tony Doris Exclusive: Oxbridge CEO on leave, pending internal investigation April 22, 2016 Palm Beach Post
  9. ↑ Letter to Oxbridge Community, May 27, 2016, accessed June 1, 2016.
  10. ↑ In 4-page letter to parents, Koch says Oxbridge righting its missteps Aug 02, 2016 Palm Beach Post
  11. ↑ Fetterly, Jane (20 November 2017). "Bill Koch welcomes new leader of Oxbridge Academy". Palm Beach Daily News. Archived from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  12. ↑ Wells Dusenbury Oxbridge Academy shutting down football program this fall June 20, 2018 Sun-Sentinel
  13. ↑ "Oxbridge Academy prepares for first football season since 2017". WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  14. ↑ Thuma, Cynthia (3 April 2019). "Oxbridge students head to tech fair in China". Palm Beach Daily News. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  15. ↑ "Oxbridge Academy To Welcome Middle Schoolers In August 2021". Town-Crier. Wellington, Florida. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  16. ↑ Williams, Rachel (31 August 2026). "Oxbridge Academy expands no-phone policy to upper school students". WPBF. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  17. ↑ "Oxbridge Academy bans cell phones for upperclassmen". WFLX. 4 September 2026. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  18. ↑ "County-by-county closures due to severe weather across South Florida". WPBF. 4 November 2026. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  19. ↑ Shields, Malcolm (29 May 2025). "Oxbridge Academy receives $1.5 million gift to build baseball complex". WPBF. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  20. ↑ Sheahan, Eleanor (18 October 2026). "Thunderwolves get new ballpark as Oxbridge Academy is set to unveil its first-ever baseball field". WFLX. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  21. ↑ Hyde, Kendall (28 May 2026). "Oxbridge Academy wins first-ever state softball championship in West Palm Beach". WPTV. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  22. ↑ Palm Beach Post: Financial aid inconsistencies root of Oxbridge sports teams’ forfeits, August 2, 2016, accessed August 20, 2016.
  23. ↑ Shweky |, Brett (30 December 2019). "Travis Homer: Weekly homegrown spotlight on Seattle Seahawks running back". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  24. ↑ "OXBRIDGE CELEBRATES TWO ALUMNI IN THE NFL: TRAVIS HOMER OF THE BEARS AND KEIDRON SMITH OF THE BRONCOS!". www.oapb.org. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  25. ↑ "Barron Trump to attend exclusive school near Mar-a-Lago". AP News. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2023.