Summary:
The analysis covers two middle schools in the Columbia County School District: Lake City Middle School (grades 7-8) and Richardson Sixth Grade Academy (grade 6 only). The district is ranked 36th out of 70 in Florida, earning a 2-star rating, and both schools serve a significant number of economically disadvantaged students.
Lake City Middle School stands out for its exceptional Algebra 1 performance, with 85% of students proficient compared to 58% for the district and 63% for the state. However, this contrasts sharply with its standard 8th-grade math proficiency of only 32%, suggesting a strong advanced track but a struggling general math curriculum. The school has improved its state ranking from the 49th percentile (2 stars) to the 51st percentile (3 stars) over three years. In contrast, Richardson Sixth Grade Academy has no recent state ranking data since 2017, making it difficult to assess its current standing. Its 6th-grade ELA (55%) and Math (45%) proficiency rates are below state averages (62% and 60%, respectively).
A critical finding is the systemic crisis of chronic absenteeism, with Lake City Middle School at 39.8% and Richardson Sixth Grade Academy at 38.4%, both well above the state average of 31.4%. This likely explains the below-average performance in core subjects. Interestingly, Richardson Sixth Grade Academy spends more per student ($10,049) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (16.8:1) than Lake City Middle School ($9,858 and 18.6:1), yet its test scores are lower relative to state averages, indicating that resources alone are not overcoming the challenges of high absenteeism and the transition year for 6th graders.
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