A. L. Mebane Middle School

A. L. Mebane Middle School is a public school in Alachua, FL, serving 385 students in grades 6-8 within the Alachua district, where about half of the students come from economically disadvantaged households. This school shows a fascinating mix of strengths and challenges: it is a standout performer in 6th-grade math, with 72% of students proficient—24 points higher than the district average and 12 points higher than the state average—but this success does not carry through to 8th grade, where only 32% of students are proficient in math, a dramatic drop compared to the state average of 61%. The school also excels in advanced coursework, with 72% of students passing the Algebra 1 EOC, outperforming both the district and state, yet struggles significantly in 8th-grade science, where proficiency is just 38%.

A major concern at A. L. Mebane is its persistently high chronic absenteeism rate, which has hovered around 32-38% over the last four years, exceeding both district and state averages. This rate is notably higher than nearby schools like Abraham Lincoln Middle School (24.2%) and Resilience Charter School Inc (16.1%), suggesting that getting students to school consistently is a key barrier to academic progress. Interestingly, the school spends more per student ($10,358) than many higher-performing peers in the district, such as Oak View Middle School ($9,053) and Kanapaha Middle School ($9,138), indicating that funding alone is not the issue.

When compared to the nearby Alachua Learning Academy Middle, a 5-star school just 1.82 miles away with a lower poverty rate and smaller class sizes, A. L. Mebane's challenges become clearer. The school's "Jekyll and Hyde" math profile—strong in 6th grade but weak in 8th—and its high absenteeism suggest that addressing attendance and maintaining academic momentum through the middle school years could have the biggest impact on improving outcomes for students.