Middle Schools in Duval

This analysis examines 27 middle schools within the Duval County Public School District in Florida, serving grades 6-8 across a diverse urban and suburban area.

The district reveals a stark divide between a few elite magnet schools and a large group of struggling traditional schools. The top performers are Julia Landon College Preparatory & Leadership Development S (97th percentile) and James Weldon Johnson College Preparatory Middle School (96th percentile), both 5-star schools with selective admissions and low poverty rates. In contrast, 59% of schools rank in the bottom 25% of Florida, including Mattie V Rutherford Alt Educational Center (2nd percentile) and Southside Middle School (8th percentile). Chronic absenteeism is a critical issue, with the district average (44.8%) far exceeding the state average (31.4%). The most challenged schools, like Matthew W. Gilbert Middle School (81.5% absenteeism), show a direct link between high absenteeism and low test scores, while top schools like Julia Landon (16.0%) have rates well below the state average.

Several counterintuitive findings emerge. Higher per-student spending does not drive success; the highest-spending school, Young Mens/Womens Leadership Academy At Eugene J Butler ($13,962 per student), ranks in the 11th percentile, while Julia Landon spends only $7,711. Additionally, Twin Lakes Academy Middle School has the district's lowest chronic absenteeism rate (14.4%) yet ranks in the bottom 16%, proving that attendance alone cannot overcome instructional challenges. A universal "middle school math slump" is evident, with 7th-grade math proficiency dropping sharply even at strong schools like Mandarin Middle School (29%) and Kernan Middle School (30%). Finally, an "Algebra 1 paradox" shows low-performing schools like Southside Middle achieving 99% proficiency in Algebra 1, likely because only a tiny group of advanced students take the exam, skewing results.