Taylor

The Taylor school district in Florida serves 2,373 students across five public schools, including three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school, and is ranked 31st out of 70 districts in the state.

The standout school in the district is Steinhatchee School, which is ranked in the 98th percentile statewide (5 stars) and achieves exceptional test scores, including 100% proficiency in 4th and 5th-grade Math. This school has the highest per-student spending ($18,595) and the lowest student-teacher ratio (12.4:1), along with the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the district (35.7%). In contrast, Taylor County High School has the highest chronic absenteeism rate at 59.1%, nearly double the state average, though its state ranking has shown recent improvement. Taylor County Middle School presents a paradox, excelling in advanced math with 92% proficiency in Algebra 1 but struggling in English Language Arts, where proficiency rates are in the 40s and 50s. The two main elementary schools in Perry, Taylor County Primary School and Taylor County Elementary School, share nearly identical chronic absenteeism rates (52.3%) and similar spending levels, but the elementary school shows consistently low state rankings (1-star) and test scores below state averages.

A critical district-wide issue is chronic absenteeism, with every school having rates 1.7 to 1.9 times higher than the state average of 31.4%. Economic disadvantage is also high, with free/reduced lunch percentages ranging from 52.74% at the high school to 74.04% at the primary school. The Steinhatchee School proves that high poverty does not have to dictate low performance, as it achieves top academic results despite a 63.39% free/reduced lunch rate. Addressing chronic absenteeism would likely have the greatest positive impact on overall student achievement across the district.