Summary:
The three public schools serving Marco Island, Florida—Tommie Barfield Elementary School, Marco Island Charter Middle, and Marco Island Academy—form a highly effective educational pipeline within the Collier district, which ranks in the 81st percentile statewide. With a total enrollment of 1,049 students, these schools consistently outperform state averages across key metrics, creating a standout system for families.
Tommie Barfield Elementary School is the top performer, achieving a 94th percentile state ranking and exceptional 5th-grade proficiency rates of 93% in English Language Arts and 89% in Science—far exceeding district and state norms. It also boasts the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (6.0%) and the lowest spending per student ($15,526), demonstrating remarkable efficiency. Marco Island Charter Middle excels in advanced math, with a perfect 100% proficiency rate on Algebra 1 and Geometry End-of-Course exams, and offers the smallest class sizes at a 12:1 student-teacher ratio. Marco Island Academy stands out with a near-perfect 98.8% graduation rate, significantly above the district (94.4%) and state (92.2%) averages.
Key findings reveal an inverse relationship between spending and performance: the elementary school spends the least but achieves the highest rankings, while the middle school spends the most ($18,085 per student) yet ranks lower. All three schools have dramatically lower chronic absenteeism rates than the state average of 31.4%, with the middle school at just 5.5%. A slight dip in high school English Language Arts proficiency (67% for 10th grade) suggests an area for focus, but overall, Marco Island’s schools provide a cohesive, high-quality education from kindergarten through graduation.
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