S. S. Seward Institute is the secondary school in the Florida Union Free School District in Orange County, New York, United States. It is located along Main Street (NY 17A/94) in the village of Florida and referred to locally as just "Seward".The student body consists of grades 6-12, drawn from Florida and surrounding portions of the towns of Chester, Goshen and Warwick.The school gets its name from Samuel S. Seward, who settled in the region in the early 19th century and established both a medical practice and a mercantile business. Seward was also active in politics, serving as a member of the New York State Assembly in 1804 and, for many years, as a judge in the Orange County Court. In 1846, Seward started the school with an endowment of $20,000. One of his sons, William Henry Seward, attended one of the institute's predecessors for a time, and later began a career in public service that culminated in the purchase of Alaska while Secretary of State. A memorial to him is located on Main Street in front of the school.
