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Howard Middle School

Q: Is Howard Middle School a good school?

Howard Middle School ranks 850 th of 1216 Florida middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 6-8

850^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,216 Florida Middle Schools

Better than 30% of Florida middle schools

Summary

Howard Middle School in Ocala, FL, serves 917 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Marion district, where over half of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch. This school presents a fascinating paradox: it boasts an exceptional advanced math program, with 86% of students proficient in Algebra 1 and 79% in Geometry—far exceeding state averages—yet struggles with grade-level math, where only about 48% of students are proficient. This "barbell effect" means the school excels at accelerating top-tier students but faces challenges in bringing the majority to grade-level standards.

Howard's overall performance has declined over the past decade, dropping from a 69th percentile ranking to its current 30th percentile, and it has been a consistent 2-star school for five years. A key concern is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 34.2%, higher than the state average and a persistent issue for four years. Interestingly, Howard spends more per student ($11,313) than any nearby middle school, yet it ranks lower than Belleview Middle School, which spends 23% less but achieves a higher ranking. This suggests resources may not be translating into proportional academic gains.

Geographically, Howard is sandwiched between two very different schools. Just 1.7 miles away, Osceola Middle School is a top performer with a 69th percentile ranking, lower absenteeism, and stronger test scores across the board. In contrast, Fort King Middle School, 2.4 miles away, shares many of Howard's challenges, including high absenteeism and low grade-level math scores. For parents, Howard offers a standout advanced math program but requires careful attention to grade-level support and attendance issues.

917

Students ?

18.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,313

Per pupil spending ?

53.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1655 NW 10th St
Ocala, FL 34475

(352) 671-7225

District: Marion

Students who attend Howard Middle School usually attend:

High:

West Port High School

Feeder schools for Howard Middle School:

Elementary:

Oakcrest Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

35.8%

White:

26.7%

Hispanic:

25.1%

See top rated Florida middle schools

Compare Howard Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 69th percentile in 2016 → 30th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (54% vs 61% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 39 percentile points since 2016

!Science scores 12 pts below the Florida average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school54%

District avg51%

Florida avg61%

850^th of 1,216

Florida public middle schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 39 pts since 2016

From top 31% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 10Middle Schools in the Marion

63^rd of 70Marion 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	34.6	850 of 1216	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.0	736 of 1205	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.3	684 of 1196	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.3	670 of 1177	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.1	652 of 1148	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.6	616 of 1136	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.8	507 of 1099	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.8	392 of 1035	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	61.1	379 of 1031	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	66.3	308 of 997	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	68.9	292 of 999	70.8%	★★★★☆
2013	71.6	251 of 956	73.7%	★★★★☆
2012	72.2	230 of 897	74.4%	★★★★☆
2011	68.4	290 of 891	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	68.0	276 of 839	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	63.9	287 of 780	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	67.6	243 of 740	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	66.5	251 of 736	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	73.2	169 of 675	75.0%	★★★★☆
2005	63.2	229 of 602	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	56.6	277 of 593	53.3%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Algebra 186%+23 vs state

Geometry79%+23 vs state

Civics66%-11 vs state

English Language Arts53%-9 vs state

Math48%-10 vs state

Science40%-12 vs state

5.0

1 rating

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1★0

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Schools Near Howard Middle 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 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 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 Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Howard Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	1655 NW 10th St	Ocala	34475	Marion County	Marion	No	Yes	No	Yes	(352) 671-7225	917	49	18.7	53.7%	245 (26.7%)	328 (35.8%)	230 (25.1%)	61 (6.7%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	49 (5.3%)	34.6	850^th of 1216 public middle schools	30.1%		41	736^th of 1205 public middle schools	38.9%	114	56.0	50.0	52.0	53.0	44.0	46.0	40.0	86.0	79.0	66.0	$11,313	$1,230	$10,083
Osceola Middle School	Public	6-8	526 SE Tuscawilla Ave	Ocala	34471	Marion County	Marion	No	No	No	No	(352) 671-7100	866	45	19.2	38.7%	472 (54.5%)	142 (16.4%)	183 (21.1%)	13 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	55 (6.4%)	66.3	375^th of 1216 public middle schools	69.2%		69.6	335^th of 1205 public middle schools	72.2%	40	60.0	70.0	74.0	62.0	71.0	60.0	69.0	100.0	97.0	79.0	$10,357	$1,001	$9,356
Fort King Middle School	Public	6-8	545 NE 17th Ave	Ocala	34470	Marion County	Marion	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 671-4725	918	47	19.5	63.3%	376 (41.0%)	230 (25.1%)	255 (27.8%)	8 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	45 (4.9%)	27	956^th of 1216 public middle schools	21.4%		22.3	974^th of 1205 public middle schools	19.2%	18	46.0	44.0	44.0	34.0	28.0	62.0	42.0	100.0	95.0	64.0	$10,845	$1,423	$9,421
Ocali Charter Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	3233 SE Maricamp Rd	Ocala	34478	Marion County	Marion	Yes	No	No	Yes	(352) 264-9940	194	12	16.1	49.5%	84 (43.3%)	31 (16.0%)	69 (35.6%)	3 (1.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.1%)	43.6	720^th of 1216 public middle schools	40.8%		46.5	648^th of 1205 public middle schools	46.2%	72	55.0	48.0	60.0	53.0	45.0	53.0	62.0	58.0	86.0	72.0	$9,807	$1,764	$8,043
Liberty Middle School	Public	6-8	4773 SW 95th St	Ocala	34476	Marion County	Marion	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 291-7930	1,171	64	18.2	47.8%	323 (27.6%)	243 (20.8%)	460 (39.3%)	54 (4.6%)	4 (0.3%)	6 (0.5%)	81 (6.9%)	46.4	673^rd of 1216 public middle schools	44.7%		41.3	727^th of 1205 public middle schools	39.7%	54	57.0	61.0	60.0	49.0	24.0	70.0	53.0	82.0	96.0	74.0	$10,347	$1,143	$9,203
North Marion Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	2085 W Highway 329	Citra	32113	Marion County	Marion	No	Yes	No	Yes	(352) 671-6035	738	44	16.7	62.2%	307 (41.6%)	208 (28.2%)	171 (23.2%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	45 (6.1%)	31.1	896^th of 1216 public middle schools	26.3%		25.4	936^th of 1205 public middle schools	22.3%	40	44.0	42.0	51.0	42.0	35.0	73.0	44.0	91.0	89.0	61.0	$11,270	$1,287	$9,983
Belleview Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	10500 SE 36th Ave	Belleview	34420	Marion County	Marion	No	Yes	No	Yes	(352) 671-6235	1,600	74	21.6	50.8%	784 (49.0%)	190 (11.9%)	514 (32.1%)	8 (0.5%)	4 (0.3%)	8 (0.5%)	92 (5.8%)	56.3	523^rd of 1216 public middle schools	57.0%		51.5	573^rd of 1205 public middle schools	52.4%	50	57.0	66.0	64.0	66.0	60.0	40.0	60.0	84.0	96.0	80.0	$8,718	$906	$7,812
Horizon Academy At Marion Oaks	Public, Magnet	6-8	365 Marion Oaks Dr	Ocala	34473	Marion County	Marion	No	Yes	No	Yes	(352) 671-6290	1,260	63	20.0	60.2%	244 (19.4%)	298 (23.7%)	640 (50.8%)	13 (1.0%)	4 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	58 (4.6%)	22.4	1009^th of 1216 public middle schools	17.0%		22.7	968^th of 1205 public middle schools	19.7%	41	48.0	45.0	42.0	36.0	41.0	36.0	35.0	81.0	100.0	59.0	$9,514	$1,108	$8,405
Lake Weir Middle School	Public	6-8	10220 SE Sunset Harbor Rd	Summerfield	34491	Marion County	Marion	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 671-6120	1,141	55	20.7	66.8%	461 (40.4%)	232 (20.3%)	360 (31.6%)	12 (1.1%)	6 (0.5%)	4 (0.4%)	66 (5.8%)	21.5	1020^th of 1216 public middle schools	16.1%		22.4	973^rd of 1205 public middle schools	19.3%	47	46.0	45.0	46.0	36.0	21.0	48.0	32.0	86.0	96.0	59.0	$10,467	$1,550	$8,917

Frequently Asked Questions about Howard Middle School

What district is Howard Middle School in?

Marion

What is the racial makeup of Howard Middle School?

Students at Howard Middle School are 36% African American, 27% White, 25% Hispanic, 7% Asian, 5% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Howard Middle School attend?

Students who attend Howard Middle School usually go on to attend West Port High School

Is Howard Middle School a good school?

Howard Middle School ranks 850^th of 1216 Florida middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Howard Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 917 students attended Howard 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.