High Schools in Putnam

There are four high schools in the Putnam County school district, all structured as junior-senior high schools serving grades 7 through 12, and the district as a whole ranks in the 11th percentile statewide, indicating significant challenges.

The standout school in the area is Q.I. Roberts Junior - Senior High School, which is a clear outlier with a 5-star rating and a state ranking of 55th out of 838 schools (93rd percentile). In stark contrast, the other three schools—Palatka Junior - Senior High School, Interlachen Junior-Senior High School, and Crescent City Junior-Senior High School—all rank in the bottom 30% of the state and receive a 1-star rating. Despite this academic divide, all four schools boast graduation rates above the state average of 92.2%, with Q.I. Roberts achieving a perfect 100% rate, while Palatka has the lowest at 95.1%. A major district-wide crisis is chronic absenteeism, which averages 57.5% compared to the state average of 31.4%; Q.I. Roberts has the lowest rate at 42.7%, while the other three schools range from 62.9% to 67.1%.

Economic disadvantage varies significantly and correlates with performance: only 35.2% of students at Q.I. Roberts qualify for free/reduced lunch, compared to over 50% at the other schools, with Crescent City Junior-Senior High School having the highest rate at 63.39%. Interestingly, higher spending per student does not lead to better outcomes, as Interlachen spends the most ($13,079) but has the second-worst ranking and highest absenteeism, while Palatka spends the least ($10,492) and has the worst ranking. Among the struggling schools, Crescent City shows some relative strengths, scoring at or above the district average in several subjects, suggesting potential for improvement that may not be present at Palatka or Interlachen.