Fsu Lab School

The Fsu Lab School district in Florida is a small, high-performing district of just two schools, serving students from kindergarten through 12th grade and ranking 2nd out of 70 districts statewide.

The district's standout is Florida State University School, a K-12 alternative school that functions as an academic powerhouse. It boasts a 96.8% graduation rate and test scores that are often 20 to 40 percentage points above state averages, such as 95% proficiency in 7th-grade math and 98% in 8th-grade math. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 13.6% is less than half the state average. In contrast, The Pembroke Pines Florida is a strong elementary school (K-5) that has shown recent improvement, moving from the 90th to the 91st percentile in state rankings. While its scores are well above state averages, they are generally lower than those at FSU School; for example, 5th-grade science proficiency is 66% at Pembroke Pines compared to 75% at FSU School. Pembroke Pines also serves a more economically diverse population, with 36.2% of students receiving free/reduced lunch versus 22.96% at FSU School.

A key finding is the inverse relationship between spending and performance: FSU School spends $10,055 per student with a 24.7:1 student-teacher ratio and achieves higher scores, while Pembroke Pines spends $11,419 per student with a smaller 18.2:1 ratio but has lower academic outcomes. Science is a relative weakness for both schools, with FSU School's 8th-grade science proficiency at 53% being a notable drop from its math and English scores. Overall, the district offers exceptional academic opportunities, with FSU School as the dominant performer and Pembroke Pines as a rising star with positive momentum.