Middle Schools in Volusia

This analysis examines 12 middle schools in the Volusia County school district, serving grades 6-8 across a diverse range of communities in east-central Florida.

The standout school in the district is Creekside Middle School, which consistently earns a 4-star rating and ranks in the top 26% of Florida middle schools. It boasts the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (25.2%) and the lowest percentage of students on free/reduced lunch (31.61%), while significantly outperforming district and state averages in nearly every subject. At the other end of the spectrum, Campbell Middle School faces the greatest challenges, with a 1-star rating, the highest chronic absenteeism rate (46.1%), the highest percentage of students on free/reduced lunch (84.1%), and the largest class sizes (23.1 students per teacher). A bright spot for advanced math is found at Deltona Middle School and Ormond Beach Middle School, both achieving a perfect 100% proficiency rate in Geometry, far exceeding the district average of 53%.

Key metrics reveal a district with wide disparities. The average free/reduced lunch rate across schools is 53.6%, and the average chronic absenteeism rate is 34.2%, with eight of the twelve schools exceeding the state average. Per-student spending averages $9,604, but shows no clear link to performance, as top-performing Creekside Middle spends below average while lower-performing Southwestern Middle School spends the most. A notable district-wide pattern is a "7th grade math slump," where math proficiency drops significantly from 6th to 7th grade across nearly all schools. Despite overall struggles, Volusia middle schools excel in advanced math, with all 12 schools outperforming the state average in Geometry and 10 out of 12 exceeding it in Algebra 1.