New Smyrna Beach Middle School

New Smyrna Beach Middle School is a mid-sized public school in New Smyrna Beach, FL, serving 1,036 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Volusia school district. The school has a 3-star rating and ranks in the 51st percentile among Florida middle schools, showing steady improvement over the last three years after a low point in 2020-2022. About 47% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, a notable decrease from 56% the previous year, though chronic absenteeism remains a challenge at 35.8%—higher than both the district and state averages.

The school’s biggest strength is its advanced math program: 79% of students are proficient in Algebra 1 and an impressive 94% in Geometry, far outpacing district and state averages. However, this success doesn’t carry over to grade-level math, where only 34% of 7th graders are proficient—19 points below the state average. This creates a “barbell” effect where top students excel but the general student body struggles. On a positive note, 8th-grade science is a consistent bright spot, with 64% proficiency beating both district and state averages. Nearby Creekside Middle School, just 8 miles away, outperforms in every subject and has lower chronic absenteeism (25.2%), highlighting a performance gap tied to both socioeconomic factors and school-level effectiveness.

Compared to other local schools, New Smyrna Beach Middle School sits in a competitive middle ground—stronger than Campbell Middle School (14th percentile) and Galaxy Middle School (25th percentile), but not at the level of top performers like Creekside. The school is on an upward trajectory, but tackling high absenteeism and improving grade-level math instruction—especially for 7th graders—are key to moving from a 3-star to a 4-star school. The strong advanced math and science results show the potential for excellence is already there.