Summary:
The city of Cantonment, Florida, is served by four public schools within the Escambia County School District, which is ranked in the bottom half of Florida districts, and includes two elementary schools (Kingsfield Elementary School and Jim Allen Elementary School), one middle school (Ransom Middle School), and one high school (J. M. Tate Senior High School), with a total enrollment of 4,980 students.
Kingsfield Elementary School is the standout academic performer, earning a 4-star rating and consistently exceeding state averages in subjects like math and science, while Ransom Middle School excels in advanced coursework, with 90% proficiency in Algebra 1 and 95% in Geometry, far outpacing district and state averages. However, J. M. Tate Senior High School presents a paradox: it boasts a 97.5% graduation rate, well above the state average, yet struggles with core academic proficiency, such as only 41% of students passing Algebra 1. Jim Allen Elementary School receives the highest per-student funding ($10,973) and has the smallest class sizes (14.1:1) due to its higher percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, but its academic performance generally lags behind Kingsfield Elementary, which has lower spending and larger classes.
A key takeaway is the performance drop from Ransom Middle School to J. M. Tate Senior High School, suggesting a disconnect in curriculum alignment or student support during the transition. Additionally, Ransom Middle School shows a "two-speed" dynamic, excelling in advanced math and science while performing at or below average in standard grade-level subjects, and it has the highest chronic absenteeism rate (30.4%) in Cantonment. All schools have lower chronic absenteeism than the district average of 33.5%, with Kingsfield Elementary having the lowest at 21.0%.
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