Summary:
The city of Blountstown, Florida, is served by three public schools within the highly-rated Calhoun district, which ranks in the top 30% of Florida districts and includes Blountstown High School (grades 6-12), Blountstown Elementary School (grades PK-5), and the Calhoun Virtual Instruction Program (grades K-12).
Blountstown High School stands out for its exceptional 97.3% graduation rate and strong performance in Civics and 8th-grade Science, where it exceeds state averages. However, it faces a critical challenge with a 55.9% chronic absenteeism rate, nearly double the state average, and struggles in Algebra 1 and 10th-grade ELA. In contrast, Blountstown Elementary School shows a "late bloomer" effect, with 5th graders outperforming district and state averages in English Language Arts and Science, even as 3rd and 4th-grade scores lag behind. The Calhoun Virtual Instruction Program offers a unique alternative with a remarkably low 2.3% chronic absenteeism rate and a per-student cost of $5,692, less than half that of the traditional schools, though its graduation rate is lower at 63.6%.
Key metrics reveal that Blountstown Elementary has the highest economic disadvantage rate at 54.34% free/reduced lunch, while the high school and virtual program are around 43%. Per-student spending is comparable between the high school ($11,719) and elementary school ($12,178), with the virtual program costing significantly less. The high school also has a higher student-teacher ratio (16.7:1) compared to the elementary school (14.6:1). Overall, the district provides a solid foundation, but parents should weigh the high school's strong graduation rate against its absenteeism issue, and consider the elementary school's upward performance trend and the virtual program's cost-effective, low-absenteeism model for alternative learning needs.
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