Draft:William Frazer (educator)

Frazer was born and raised in Gainesville, Florida. His father, William Frazer Jr., was an economics professor at the University of Florida's Warrington College of Business.{{cite web |title=The Trader Turned Teacher |url=https://news.warrington.ufl.edu/alumni-friends/the-trader-turned-teacher/ |access-date=March 16, 2025 |publisher=University of Florida Warrington College of Business |date=July 17, 2016}} Frazer attended F.W. Buchholz High School and graduated in 1976. He later earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from the university's Fisher School of Accounting in 1980.

After graduating, Frazer began working at Lazard Frères in the early 1980s as a bond trader. Frazer reportedly hated the culture on Wall Street, saying that he "just didn't feel healthy".{{cite news |last1=Carpenter |first1=Scott |title=Former Trader Turns High School Math Team Into Wall Street Pipeline |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-03/ex-trader-turns-high-school-math-team-into-wall-street-pipeline |access-date=9 April 2025 |work=Bloomberg |date=3 June 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.is/NbQeL |archive-date=3 June 2023 |language=en |quote=The money was good, but Frazer’s chain-smoking bosses and the late-night drinking didn’t make a long career on Wall Street seem attractive. "I just didn’t feel healthy," Frazer said.}} He left the finance industry at age 27 and returned to Gainesville, where he spent several years coaching high school golf and serving on the City of Gainesville’s pension board.

Frazer started teaching mathematics at F. W. Buchholz High School in 1997. Initially hired to support the school's finance magnet program, he was instead offered a math teaching position. Under his coaching, the math team he founded achieved significant success in state and national competitions. From 2007 to 2016, the team won ten consecutive Mu Alpha Theta national championships. By 2022, it had won 14 of the last 15 national titles in the same competition.{{cite web |title=Championships |url=https://www.buchholzmathteam.com/championships |access-date=March 16, 2025 |publisher=Buchholz Math Team |date=2023}}{{cite news |last1=Harrell |first1=Gershon |title=Buchholz High School takes home 14th national math championship win in 15-year span |url=https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/2022/07/19/buchholz-high-school-wins-14th-national-championship/10089688002/ |access-date=March 17, 2025 |work=Gainesville Sun |date=July 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250317032324/https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/2022/07/19/buchholz-high-school-wins-14th-national-championship/10089688002/ |archive-date=March 17, 2025}}

In 2023, Frazer announced plans to open a private academic institution in Gainesville, focused on competitive academics.{{cite news |last1=Lawson |first1=Lillian |title=A new, private school focusing on competitive academics will open this year |url=https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/education/2024/04/16/private-frazer-school-will-focus-on-academic-competition/73341066007/ |access-date=March 17, 2025 |work=The Gainesville Sun |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250317033121/https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/education/2024/04/16/private-frazer-school-will-focus-on-academic-competition/73341066007/ |archive-date=March 17, 2025}} Following bipartisan support from State Officials, the Frazer School for Competitive Academics opened in 2024 and reports indicate the school has begun participating in academic competitions.{{cite news |last1=Voleer |first1=Thomas |title=Frazer School student among 40 finalists in national science and math competition |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/frazer-school-student-among-40-144251307.html |access-date=March 17, 2025 |work=The Gainesville Sun |agency=Yahoo News |date=January 28, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250317034204/https://www.yahoo.com/news/frazer-school-student-among-40-144251307.html |archive-date=March 17, 2025}}

Frazer's work with the Buchholz math team has been covered by national media. In 2022, The Wall Street Journal described the team as a “dynasty built by one teacher.”{{cite news |last=Cohen |first=Ben |title=How a Public School in Florida Built America's Greatest Math Team |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-secrets-of-americas-greatest-high-school-math-team-11657791000 |access-date=March 16, 2025 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=July 14, 2022}} He also appeared on Fox & Friends to discuss the team’s achievements.{{cite news |title=Buchholz Math Team Coach Discusses Success on Fox News |url=https://www.foxnews.com/media/buchholz-math-team-coach-will-frazer-on-winning |access-date=March 16, 2025 |work=Fox News |date=July 18, 2022}} The Florida Department of Education has recognized the Buchholz math program as a model for other schools. Several Florida Senators have met with Frazer to discuss how the state can reproduce his success.{{cite news |last1=Carpenter |first1=Scott |title=Former Trader Turns High School Math Team Into Wall Street Pipeline |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-03/ex-trader-turns-high-school-math-team-into-wall-street-pipeline |access-date=9 April 2025 |work=Bloomberg |date=3 June 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.is/NbQeL |archive-date=3 June 2023 |language=en |quote=Frazer’s achievements have caught the eyes of a group of Florida state senators, who met with him last month to learn how they might replicate Buchholz’s success.}}

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