Summary:
The Columbia school district in Florida contains three high schools—Columbia High School, Fort White High School, and Pathways Academy—serving roughly 2,906 students across grades 6-12, with the district ranking 36th out of 70 in Florida (a 2-star rating).
Fort White High School stands out as the district's academic leader, boasting the highest graduation rate at 93.0% (above the state average of 92.2%) and outperforming state averages in Geometry (60% vs. 56%), Biology (77% vs. 74%), and 8th Grade Science (74% vs. 52%). In contrast, Columbia High School, the largest school with 1,711 students, struggles significantly with a chronic absenteeism rate of 52.9% (far above the state's 31.4%) and a catastrophic 14% proficiency in Algebra 1, well below the district average of 58% and state average of 63%. Pathways Academy, a small alternative school with only 94 students, faces extreme challenges, ranking in the bottom 4% of Florida high schools (801 out of 838) and showing 0% proficiency in several subjects, despite spending the most per student ($20,983) and having the lowest student-teacher ratio (15.6:1).
Key takeaways reveal a strong link between attendance and achievement: Pathways Academy (73.9% absenteeism) and Columbia High School (52.9%) have the worst attendance and lowest test scores, while Fort White High School (46.8% absenteeism) performs best. Fort White High School also demonstrates efficiency, achieving above-average results with moderate spending ($11,082 per student) and a lower student-teacher ratio (16.9:1). Meanwhile, Columbia High School is in crisis with large class sizes (22.9:1) and low spending ($8,413 per student), and district-wide math scores remain a systemic weakness, with even Fort White High School's Algebra 1 proficiency (42%) trailing the state average (63%).
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