Summary
Jones High in Orlando, FL, is a traditional public high school serving 1,653 students in grades 9-12 within the Orange school district, where 68% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Despite historically ranking in the bottom 20th percentile of Florida high schools, Jones High has shown a clear upward trend, improving from the 17th percentile in 2016-2017 to the 31st percentile in 2025-2026, earning a 2-star rating for three consecutive years.
The most striking feature of Jones High is its exceptional graduation rate of 92.1% (2024-2025), which rivals higher-performing nearby schools like Edgewater High (98.8%) and William R Boone High (98.7%), despite having significantly lower test scores. However, the school faces a critical challenge with chronic absenteeism at 65.3% (2023-2024), nearly double the rate of Oak Ridge High (59.3%) and far exceeding the district average of 35.2%. Academically, Jones High excels in science and history, with Biology 1 proficiency at 75% and US History at 74%—both at or above state averages—but struggles in foundational math and English, with Algebra 1 proficiency at 45% and 9th Grade ELA at 37%, well below state averages of 63% and 60%.
This creates a paradox: the school graduates students at a high rate despite low core academic performance and high poverty, suggesting strong support systems and credit recovery programs. The contrast with Orlando Science Middle High Charter, just 2.9 miles away, highlights the impact of socioeconomic factors—Orlando Science has a 5-star rating, 100% graduation rate, and only 18.9% free/reduced lunch. Jones High's upward trajectory, with Algebra 1 proficiency rising from 26% to 45% in three years, shows that efforts are working, but addressing the absenteeism crisis is the key to unlocking its full potential.
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