Summary:
The three public schools in Vernon, Florida, part of the Washington County School District, serve 1,206 students from elementary through high school in a community where nearly 60% of students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Vernon Middle School is the district's clear academic standout, achieving an 86% proficiency rate in Algebra 1—far exceeding both the district (53%) and state (63%) averages—and outperforming state averages in 7th-grade math and 8th-grade science. However, this success does not carry over to Vernon High School, where only 31% of students are proficient in Algebra 1 and performance on core End-of-Course exams lags significantly behind state averages. Vernon Elementary School shows a troubling pattern: 3rd graders perform at or above state averages in ELA and math, but by 5th grade, proficiency drops well below state levels in both subjects.
Chronic absenteeism is a critical district-wide issue, with all three schools exceeding the state average of 31.4%. Vernon Elementary has the highest rate at 47.8%, followed by Vernon High School (42.4%) and Vernon Middle School (36.1%). Notably, spending per student does not correlate with performance: Vernon High School spends the most ($13,674 per student) but achieves the lowest academic results, while Vernon Middle School spends less ($11,588) and delivers the best outcomes. The district's graduation rate of 90.4% at Vernon High School is slightly below state averages, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to address the disconnect between middle and high school performance and the systemic absenteeism affecting all grade levels.
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