Gulf

The Gulf district in Florida serves approximately 1,901 students across five schools, including two elementary schools, two high schools serving grades 6-12, and one alternative school, and is ranked 44th out of 70 districts in the state with a 2-star rating.

For parents, the standout school is Port St. Joe High School, which is the only 4-star school in the district and shows a strong upward trend in state rankings, moving from the 57th to the 71st percentile. It leads in academic performance, especially in EOC exams like Civics (87% proficient) and Algebra 1 (78%), and has the lowest percentage of students on free/reduced lunch (37.57%). In contrast, Wewahitchka High School presents a paradox: it boasts the highest graduation rate in the district (97.4%), well above the state average, yet has the lowest test scores, such as only 18% proficiency in 7th-grade Math. Port St. Joe Elementary School is a consistent performer with a 3-star rating, excelling in 5th-grade Science (67% proficient) and Math (74% proficient), and has the lowest chronic absenteeism (36.0%) among standard schools, along with the highest per-student spending ($15,057) and lowest student-teacher ratio (12.5:1).

A critical district-wide issue is chronic absenteeism, which averages 48.2%—over 50% higher than the state average—and is a likely driver of the district's low 2-star rating. There is a clear divide between Port St. Joe and Wewahitchka schools, with Port St. Joe schools consistently showing higher test scores, lower absenteeism, and more resources. Math proficiency is a consistent weakness across the district, with scores often far below state averages, while the alternative school, Prek Ese, serves a small, specialized population of 24 students with a 0% chronic absenteeism rate.