Pinellas

The Pinellas County school district in Florida serves 150 schools, including elementary, middle, and high schools, and is ranked 15th out of 70 districts in the state, earning a 4-star rating. The district's standout performers are the three St. Petersburg Collegiate High Schools, which are the top-ranked schools in the area, with St. Petersburg Collegiate High School ranked #1 in the state and achieving 100% graduation rates and near-perfect test scores, despite having high student-teacher ratios and below-average spending. Other top performers include Curtis Fundamental Elementary and Elisa Nelson Elementary, both in the 99th percentile, and Clearwater Fundamental Middle School and East Lake Middle School Academy Of Engineering, which are top middle schools with outstanding test scores.

Key metrics reveal a district average graduation rate of 93.4% and chronic absenteeism at 30.6%, but there is a stark contrast between schools. For example, top schools like Curtis Fundamental Elementary have chronic absenteeism as low as 6.1%, while struggling schools like Enterprise Charter High School have rates exceeding 94%. Test scores also vary widely, with top schools achieving near 100% proficiency in subjects like ELA and Math, while lower-ranked schools, such as Pinellas Park Elementary School, have very low scores. Socioeconomic factors play a role, as schools with high free/reduced lunch rates, like Melrose Elementary School at 90.45%, tend to have lower performance, though exceptions like Midtown Academy show that high-poverty schools can still achieve strong results.

Interesting findings include that the "Collegiate High School" model is highly effective, with selective admissions driving success, and that chronic absenteeism is a powerful predictor of performance, with low absenteeism correlating strongly with high achievement. Spending does not directly correlate with performance, as the highest-spending schools, such as Calvin A. Hunsinger School at $54,339 per student, are alternative schools with low performance, while top performers spend much less. Fundamental and magnet schools consistently outperform, and there is a significant performance disparity within the district, with schools ranging from the 99th to the 1st percentile, highlighting the challenge of providing equitable education across diverse communities.