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J.R. Arnold High School

Public Grades 9-12
388th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 844 Florida High Schools
Better than 54% of Florida high schools
Summary

J.R. Arnold High School is a public high school located in Panama City Beach, Florida, serving 1,637 students in grades 9-12 and is part of the Bay District. The school has maintained a relatively high four-year graduation rate, ranging from 88.0% to 95.4% in recent years, which is on par with or slightly higher than the district and state averages. However, the school has experienced a higher chronic absenteeism rate compared to the district and state, ranging from 30.9% to 35.3%, which is an area of concern that may impact student performance.

In terms of academic performance, J.R. Arnold High School's proficiency rates in Algebra 1 and Geometry End-of-Course (EOC) exams have been consistently lower than the district and state averages, ranging from 25% to 60% proficient. On the other hand, the school's proficiency rates in Biology 1 EOC exams and US History EOC exams have been higher than the district and state, ranging from 61% to 74% and 63% to 69% proficient, respectively. The school's proficiency rates in 9th and 10th grade FAST/FSA English Language Arts assessments have been slightly lower than the district and state, ranging from 46% to 56% proficient.

When compared to nearby schools, Rutherford High School and A. Crawford Mosley High School, which are also part of the Bay District, have similar performance metrics to J.R. Arnold High School, with slightly higher test scores in some areas. However, Rosenwald High School and New Horizons Learning Center, which serve more economically disadvantaged populations, have significantly lower test scores across the board compared to J.R. Arnold High School. Notably, Florida State University Panama City Developmental Laboratory, a charter school in a different district, stands out with exceptional test scores, significantly outperforming J.R. Arnold High School and other nearby schools.

1,629
Students ?
21.1
Student/teacher ratio ?
$8,080
Per pupil spending ?
32%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 550 N Alf Coleman Rd
       Panama City Beach, FL  32407

(850) 767-3700

District: Bay


Feeder schools for J.R. Arnold High School:

Elementary:    Breakfast Point Academy
    Hutchison Beach Elementary School
    Patronis Elementary School
Alternative:    Surfside Middle School
Racial breakdown:

White:
64.3%
Hispanic:
15.8%
African American:
10.0%
more
 See top rated Florida high schools

 Compare J.R. Arnold High School to nearby high schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 60th percentile in 2014 → 54th in 2025
Strengths
97% graduate in 4 years — above the Florida average (92%)
Above the Florida median (54th percentile)
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Florida average (56% vs 62% meeting standards)
!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2014
!Algebra 1 scores 24 pts below the Florida average
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school56%
District avg60%
Florida avg62%
388th of 844
Florida public high schools ?
Top 46%▼ down 10 pts since 2016
From top 36% (2016) to top 46% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Florida High Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
4th of 9High Schools in the Bay
35th of 67Bay among Florida districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankFlorida percentileRating
202545.5388 of 84454.0%★★★☆☆
202449.2311 of 80761.5%★★★☆☆
202349.2295 of 79262.8%★★★☆☆
202251.2265 of 77465.8%★★★☆☆
202153.6237 of 74668.2%★★★☆☆
201947.4311 of 73457.6%★★★☆☆
201860.6185 of 71674.2%★★★★☆
201757.7203 of 71471.6%★★★★☆
201653.2249 of 69364.1%★★★☆☆
201455.4273 of 68760.3%★★★☆☆
201357.7224 of 64865.4%★★★☆☆
201272.777 of 60687.3%★★★★☆
201174.4146 of 62276.5%★★★★☆
201080.398 of 62084.2%★★★★☆
200981.588 of 58785.0%★★★★☆
200880.492 of 57784.1%★★★★☆
200781.187 of 56384.5%★★★★☆
200669.6129 of 47773.0%★★★★☆
200576.6103 of 48778.9%★★★★☆
200478.487 of 48482.0%★★★★☆
By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?
Biology 174%+3 vs state
US History69%~ state avg
English Language Arts56%~ state avg
Geometry38%-17 vs state
Algebra 136%-24 vs state

5.0
2 ratings · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a citizen
Sunday, October 11, 2020

Open Quote Graduated from Arnold high in 2010! Nothing better than going to school on the beach. Great teachers and educators. Go dolphins! Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about J.R. Arnold High School

J.R. Arnold High School ranks 388th of 844 Florida high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students at J.R. Arnold High School are 64% White, 16% Hispanic, 10% African American, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,629 students attended J.R. Arnold High School.

J.R. Arnold High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Breakfast Point Academy
Elementary : Hutchison Beach Elementary School
Elementary : Patronis Elementary School
Alternative : Surfside Middle School


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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