July 9, 2025
Principal Brent Fraizer’s Vision Powers Umatilla High to Record-Setting School Grade
By Kyle Coppola
Principal Brent Fraizer’s Vision Powers Umatilla High to Record-Setting School Grade
In a milestone achievement for the small-town school, Umatilla High School has earned a “B” grade for the 2024-2025 academic year, the highest rating in the school’s history! We couldn’t be more proud of this program!
Led by Principal Brent Fraizer, the school has undergone a massive academic transformation. The introduction of the prestigious Cambridge AICE program under Fraizer’s leadership has been a game-changer, not only raising academic standards but also serving as a blueprint for other schools across Lake County.
(The students at Umatilla High School have worked incredibly hard. The students pictured are part of the Cambridge AICE program.)
This is truly a historic moment for Umatilla High School. The B grade reflects the hard work that all the teachers, staff, students and parents put in. Everyone has played a role in this success of the program. Just five or six years ago Umatilla High had the potential which was always there, but with the guidance of the current faculty and Fraizers vision, Umatilla High is nearing an A rated school.
Umatilla High School is long known for its close-knit, rural roots. It’s a place where everyone knows one another. Umatilla High in particular has experienced an academic renaissance since Fraizer took the helm. The Cambridge AICE curriculum, which emphasizes college readiness through rigorous, internationally benchmarked coursework, has been met with enthusiasm from students with many earning associates degrees before they graduate.
(Principal Fraizer standing with his Florida Teacher of the Year award.)
The turnaround has also sparked a sense of pride across the Umatilla community. Parents have become increasingly involved, and students are thriving in and out of the classroom. The school’s rise is not limited to academics, athletics are also surging. The Umatilla Bulldogs’ baseball team completed a historic season this past spring, while the football and basketball programs have also seen recent success.
“It’s a great time to be a Bulldog,” said Fraizer, who brings over two decades of educational experience to his role. A South Carolina native who began his teaching career in 2001, Fraizer has worked in several Lake County schools since relocating in 2004. His leadership resume includes serving as Dean at Leesburg Elementary, Assistant Principal at East Ridge High, and Principal at Umatilla Middle School, where he raised the school’s grade from a “C” to a “B” in just one year.
“My mission has always been to inspire others to pursue greatness,” he says. “Greatness isn’t just about achievements, it’s about the effort you put into the journey. If you can dream it, and believe it, you can achieve it.”
Fraizer and his wife, Kimberly, an education leader at Lake Technical College and former Literacy Coach at Umatilla Middle, are proud to call the community home. They’re two sons, Jacob and Caleb, attend local Umatilla schools.
We are so proud of this effort! This was no easy task. We are absolutely thrilled for Umatilla High School and all the area school programs who achieved great heights during the 2024-2025 school year. Congratulations.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
