Summary:
The city of Shalimar, Florida, is home to three public schools within the highly-rated Okaloosa County School District, serving approximately 1,724 students across two elementary schools and one middle school, with no high schools located within the city limits.
Clifford Meigs Middle School stands out as the academic powerhouse in Shalimar, consistently outperforming district and state averages and showing a strong upward trend in its state ranking. Its most impressive metrics include a 100% proficiency rate in Geometry and a 94% proficiency rate in Algebra 1, indicating exceptional preparation for advanced coursework. In contrast, Longwood Elementary School faces significant challenges, ranking in the bottom 5% of Florida elementary schools with a 0-star rating and proficiency rates well below district averages across all subjects. Shalimar Elementary School sits in the middle with a 2-star rating, though it has experienced a notable downward trend from a 3-star rating two years prior, and shows inconsistent performance by grade level.
Key metrics reveal stark contrasts: Longwood Elementary has the highest poverty rate (76.58% free/reduced lunch) and chronic absenteeism (33.3%), while Clifford Meigs has the lowest (57.84% and 21.5%, respectively). Interestingly, Longwood spends the most per student ($11,639) yet achieves the lowest test scores, while Clifford Meigs spends the least ($10,350) and achieves the highest scores. Chronic absenteeism is a critical issue at both elementary schools, significantly exceeding the district average of 20.5%, while the middle school's rate is much closer to that benchmark. The data suggests that factors beyond spending, such as curriculum focus and teacher quality, are driving success at Clifford Meigs, while Longwood's challenges highlight the complex relationship between poverty, attendance, and academic performance.
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