Summary:
Rockledge, Florida is home to two middle schools serving grades 7 and 8, both part of the Brevard school district: John F. Kennedy Middle School and Ronald McNair Magnet Middle School.
John F. Kennedy Middle School is the clear academic standout, ranking in the 69th percentile statewide with a 3-star rating. It consistently outperforms its local counterpart and state averages in core subjects like English Language Arts and Math, with 73% of 7th graders proficient in ELA compared to 62% statewide. Kennedy also excels in advanced coursework, with exceptional proficiency rates of 95% in Biology 1 and 91% in Geometry. In contrast, Ronald McNair Magnet Middle School ranks in the 29th percentile with a 1-star rating, despite spending $18,136 per student—39% more than Kennedy’s $13,016—and having a lower student-teacher ratio of 12.4:1. This spending paradox suggests the magnet program’s higher costs are not translating into academic gains for the general student body.
Key metrics highlight the disparities: Kennedy has a 49.66% free/reduced lunch rate and 18.6% chronic absenteeism, while McNair has a higher 62.21% poverty rate and 25.4% absenteeism. Both schools are below the state’s 31.4% chronic absenteeism average. A notable finding is Kennedy’s volatile math program, with 8th-grade math proficiency swinging from 21% in 2024-2025 to 69% in 2025-2026, suggesting curriculum or cohort issues. McNair, while showing strength in advanced courses like Algebra 1 (89%) and Biology 1 (100%), struggles with core proficiency, with only 47% of 7th graders proficient in ELA. For parents, Kennedy offers a strong, consistent academic environment, while McNair presents a higher-spending, lower-performing option that may require closer scrutiny of its magnet program’s effectiveness.
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