Summary:
This analysis examines a single school in the city of Chicago, Florida: Acceleration Academies LLC Homestead, a high school serving grades 8 through 12 with 170 students, which is part of the Miami-Dade district.
Acceleration Academies LLC Homestead is a standout school, but for deeply concerning reasons. It ranks in the bottom 15th percentile of all Illinois high schools, a position it has held consistently for three years. The most alarming metric is its graduation rate of just 21.1%, which is drastically lower than the district average of 93.1% and the state average of 92.2%. Academic proficiency is critically low across all subjects, with Algebra 1 at only 7% proficient and Geometry at 11%, compared to district rates of 69% and 60% respectively. Even its strongest subject, US History, shows only 33% proficiency against a district average of 76%. Chronic absenteeism sits at 24.1%, slightly below the state average of 31.4%.
A key paradox is the school's very low poverty rate, with only 7.65% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, yet its performance is far worse than schools with much higher poverty levels. This suggests the core challenges are not economic but likely tied to the school's alternative model, which serves students who have dropped out or are off-track. The data reveals a "dropout factory" profile, with a systemic failure to retain and graduate students. While there is a relative strength in Biology (26% proficient) and US History, math proficiency has declined year-over-year, with Algebra 1 dropping from 17% to 7%. The school's model does not appear to be successfully accelerating students toward proficiency or graduation at a rate comparable to traditional schools.
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