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Fort White High School

Q: Is Fort White High School a good school?

Fort White High School ranks 439 th of 838 Florida high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-12

439^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 838 Florida High Schools

Better than 48% of Florida high schools

Summary

Fort White High School is a mid-sized public school in the rural town of Fort White, FL, serving 1,101 students in grades 6-12 as part of the Columbia district, which ranks in the 49th percentile statewide. The school has a history of moderate performance, typically earning a 2 or 3-star rating, but it stands out for its exceptional 8th-grade science scores, which have consistently outperformed the district and state by 15-25 points over the past three years—a true "pocket of excellence" that suggests a highly effective science curriculum or dedicated teachers at the middle school level.

However, this strength contrasts sharply with significant challenges. The school boasts a high graduation rate of 93%, yet it also has a critically high chronic absenteeism rate of 46.8%, the worst among nearby schools like Bell High School (18.3%) and Branford High School (51.0%). This paradox suggests that while the school effectively helps enrolled students graduate, a large portion of the student body misses significant instructional time. Additionally, 8th-grade math scores are a severe weakness at just 24%, drastically below the state average of 61%, while 7th-grade math scores are a relative strength at 61%. This dramatic drop between grades is a red flag that warrants investigation into the 8th-grade math curriculum or instruction.

Compared to nearby Bell High School, a 5-star school just 15 miles away, Fort White lags in nearly every subject and has a much higher absenteeism rate, despite similar per-student spending. This suggests the root cause of Fort White's struggles may be more about student engagement and school culture than funding. On a positive note, the school's state ranking has shown a slight upward trend after a dip, moving to the 48th percentile in 2025-2026. Addressing the chronic absenteeism crisis and the 8th-grade math slump will be key to returning to its peak performance from 2018-2019.

1,101

Students ?

16.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,082

Per pupil spending ?

46.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

17828 SW State Road 47
Fort White, FL 32038

(386) 319-7272

District: Columbia

Feeder schools for Fort White High School:

Elementary:	Columbia City Elementary School
	Fort White Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.9%

Hispanic:

11.4%

African American:

8.6%

See top rated Florida high schools

Compare Fort White High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 49th percentile in 2016 → 48th in 2026

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Columbia

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (47% vs 31% Florida)

!Algebra 1 scores 21 pts below the Florida average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school58%

District avg59%

Florida avg63%

Middle school

677^th of 1,216

Florida public middle schools ?

Bottom 44%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

439^th of 838

Florida public high schools ?

Bottom 48%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Florida High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4High Schools in the Columbia

36^th of 70Columbia 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	46.2	677 of 1216	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.3	614 of 1205	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.8	595 of 1196	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.8	567 of 1177	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.9	520 of 1148	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.5	519 of 1136	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.7	434 of 1099	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.7	550 of 1035	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	43.1	588 of 1031	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	42.7	570 of 997	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	42.7	581 of 999	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	47.6	517 of 956	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	52.6	440 of 897	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	57.5	416 of 891	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	57.4	383 of 839	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	55.9	372 of 780	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	44.2	446 of 740	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	49.6	396 of 736	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	45.2	389 of 675	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	51.0	320 of 602	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2004	55.3	284 of 593	52.1%	★★★☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	42.4	439 of 838	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.8	398 of 844	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.3	397 of 807	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.7	425 of 792	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.1	323 of 774	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.4	311 of 746	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.4	300 of 734	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.0	376 of 716	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	39.9	378 of 714	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	42.4	352 of 693	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	44.6	370 of 687	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	47.7	308 of 648	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	50.0	237 of 606	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	51.1	331 of 622	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	49.4	354 of 620	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	52.6	306 of 587	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	56.8	261 of 577	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	57.7	239 of 563	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2006	53.8	231 of 477	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	49.9	271 of 487	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	66.2	163 of 484	66.3%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Biology 177%+3 vs state

Science74%+22 vs state

US History72%~ state avg

Civics66%-11 vs state

Geometry60%+4 vs state

English Language Arts56%-5 vs state

Math49%-10 vs state

Algebra 142%-21 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a student
Friday, May 3, 2013

Fort White was one of my first schools ever. The teachers improved as the year went on. I NEVER got a test score lower than a 95%. I wish I would have had the opportunity to stay there longer and maybe even to graduate from 12th grade. Close Quote

Schools Near Fort White High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				FAST English Language Arts (2026)					FAST Math (2026)			Statewide Science Science (2026)	EOC Algebra 1 (2026)	EOC Geometry (2026)	EOC Biology 1 (2026)	EOC US History (2026)	EOC Civics (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 9th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 10th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Biology 1 End of Course	EOC US History End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Fort White High School	Public	6-12	17828 SW State Road 47	Fort White	32038	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	No	No	(386) 319-7272	1,101	65	16.9	46.3%	792 (71.9%)	95 (8.6%)	126 (11.4%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	85 (7.7%)	42.4	439^th of 838 public high schools	47.6%		44.8	398^th of 844 public high schools	52.8%	41	52.0	59.0	59.0	51.0	61.0	45.0	61.0	24.0	74.0	42.0	60.0	77.0	72.0	66.0	$11,082	$949	$10,133
Branford High School	Public	6-12	405 Reynolds St NE	Branford	32008	Suwannee County	Suwannee	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 935-5600	799	40	19.7	42.7%	612 (76.6%)	30 (3.8%)	118 (14.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (4.8%)	36.9	511^th of 838 public high schools	39.0%		44.5	404^th of 844 public high schools	52.1%	107	67.0	50.0	60.0	56.0	51.0	62.0	66.0	25.0	67.0	49.0	42.0	70.0	63.0	65.0	$10,371	$1,049	$9,323
Santa Fe High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	16213 NW Us Highway 441	Alachua	32615	Alachua County	Alachua	No	Yes	No	No	(386) 462-1125	1,132	47	24.0	41.6%	652 (57.6%)	218 (19.3%)	155 (13.7%)	27 (2.4%)	5 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	75 (6.6%)	46.8	383^rd of 838 public high schools	54.3%		50.9	324^th of 844 public high schools	61.6%	59				60.0	59.0					24.0	62.0	66.0	70.0
Bell High School	Public, Magnet	6-12	930 S Main St	Bell	32619	Gilchrist County	Gilchrist	No	Yes	No	No	(352) 463-3232	696	38	18.3	45.3%	559 (80.3%)	12 (1.7%)	90 (12.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	31 (4.5%)	65.9	177^th of 838 public high schools	78.9%		66.8	172^nd of 844 public high schools	79.6%	5	70.0	80.0	64.0	67.0	73.0	71.0	83.0	90.0	65.0	57.0	70.0	89.0	81.0	96.0	$11,675	$654	$11,022
Columbia High School	Public	9-12	469 SE Fighting Tiger Dr	Lake City	32025	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	No	No	(386) 755-8080	1,711	74	22.9	44.8%	918 (53.7%)	516 (30.2%)	134 (7.8%)	34 (2.0%)	4 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	105 (6.1%)	42	445^th of 838 public high schools	46.9%		38.5	479^th of 844 public high schools	43.2%	34				56.0	55.0					14.0	44.0	63.0	71.0		$8,413	$726	$7,687
Columbia Virtual Franchise	Public, Virtual	6-12	372 W Duval St	Lake City	32055	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	Yes	No	(352) 758-4935	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Columbia Virtual Instruction Program (District Provided)	Public, Virtual	9-12	372 W Duval St	Lake City	32055	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	Yes	No	(386) 755-8053	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	11.7	699^th of 838 public high schools	16.6%					(n/a)		53.0	28.0	50.0	28.0		50.0	15.0	21.0	22.0	6.0	30.0	48.0	44.0
Pathways Academy	Public	6-12	1301 NW Labonte Ln	Lake City	32055	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	No	No	(386) 755-8296	94	6	15.6	77.7%	45 (47.9%)	35 (37.2%)	5 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)	8 (8.5%)	1.9	801^st of 838 public high schools	4.4%		2.5	790^th of 844 public high schools	6.4%	11	30.0	0.0	0.0	20.0			8.0	7.0		0.0				7.0	$20,983	$1,351	$19,633

Frequently Asked Questions about Fort White High School

What schools feed into Fort White High School?

Fort White High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Columbia City Elementary School
Elementary : Fort White Elementary School

How many students attend Fort White High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,101 students attended Fort White High School.

Is Fort White High School a good school?

Fort White High School ranks 439^th of 838 Florida high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Fort White High School in?

Columbia

What is the racial makeup of Fort White High School?

Students at Fort White High School are 72% White, 11% Hispanic, 9% African American, 8% Two or more races.

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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.