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Fort Clarke Middle School

Q: Is Fort Clarke Middle School a good school?

Fort Clarke Middle School ranks 572 nd of 1216 Florida middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

572^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,216 Florida Middle Schools

Better than 53% of Florida middle schools

Summary

Fort Clarke Middle School in Gainesville, FL, is a public school serving 840 students in grades 6-8 within the Alachua district, and it has consistently earned a 3-star rating from Schooldigger, placing it in the 50th-60th percentile statewide over the last decade.

Fort Clarke stands out for its exceptional advanced math program, with Algebra 1 proficiency rates of 88-93% and a perfect 100% Geometry proficiency for three consecutive years—a record matched only by Oak View Middle School among larger area schools. However, this strength contrasts sharply with a significant weakness in standard 8th-grade math, where only 24% of students were proficient in 2024-2025, well below the state average of 57%. This "bimodal" pattern suggests that while a select group excels in advanced courses, the majority of 8th graders struggle with on-grade-level math. In comparison, nearby Alachua Learning Academy Middle, a top-performing charter school with a 5-star rating, shows much higher proficiency across nearly all subjects, though it serves a smaller student body with a lower student-to-teacher ratio.

A major concern is Fort Clarke's chronic absenteeism rate of 37.7% in 2023-2024, the highest among its peers like Kanapaha Middle School (31.9%) and Howard W. Bishop Middle School (28.2%), and nearly 10 percentage points above the state average. This persistent issue likely drives the school's stagnant rankings and poor standard math performance. On a positive note, Fort Clarke excels in 7th-grade math (67% proficient) and 7th-grade ELA (67% proficient), outperforming district and state averages, but these gains are not sustained into 8th grade. Addressing the absenteeism crisis and aligning math instruction across grades could significantly improve overall outcomes for students.

840

Students ?

20.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

51.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9301 NW 23rd Ave
Gainesville, FL 32606

(352) 333-2800

District: Alachua

Students who attend Fort Clarke Middle School usually attend:

High:

F. W. Buchholz High School

Feeder schools for Fort Clarke Middle School:

Elementary:	Hidden Oak Elementary School
	Meadowbrook Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

39.5%

African American:

31.3%

Hispanic:

16.1%

See top rated Florida middle schools

Compare Fort Clarke Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 67th percentile in 2016 → 53rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Florida median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school64%

District avg57%

Florida avg61%

572^nd of 1,216

Florida public middle schools ?

Top 47%▼ down 14 pts since 2016

From top 33% (2016) to top 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 10Middle Schools in the Alachua

50^th of 70Alachua among Florida districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	53.2	572 of 1216	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.8	524 of 1205	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.3	585 of 1196	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.4	589 of 1177	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.0	502 of 1148	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.1	453 of 1136	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.5	494 of 1099	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.8	391 of 1035	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	63.0	356 of 1031	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	63.8	332 of 997	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	67.5	306 of 999	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	66.5	312 of 956	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	70.9	248 of 897	72.4%	★★★★☆
2011	70.9	256 of 891	71.3%	★★★★☆
2010	68.1	275 of 839	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	70.2	237 of 780	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	68.8	226 of 740	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	65.6	258 of 736	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	70.8	183 of 675	72.9%	★★★★☆
2005	67.4	189 of 602	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2004	69.5	175 of 593	70.5%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Geometry100%+44 vs state

Algebra 188%+25 vs state

Civics78%~ state avg

English Language Arts62%~ state avg

Science59%+7 vs state

Math55%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Fort Clarke Middle School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				FAST English Language Arts (2026)							FAST Math (2026)						Statewide Science Science (2026)		EOC Algebra 1 (2026)	EOC Geometry (2026)	EOC Biology 1 (2026)	EOC Civics (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 10th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Biology 1 End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Total
Fort Clarke Middle School	Public	6-8	9301 NW 23rd Ave	Gainesville	32606	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	No	No	(352) 333-2800	840	42	20.0	51.3%	332 (39.5%)	263 (31.3%)	135 (16.1%)	44 (5.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (7.7%)	53.2	572^nd of 1216 public middle schools	53.0%		54.8	524^th of 1205 public middle schools	56.5%	48				55.0	67.0	63.0					48.0	67.0	43.0		59.0	88.0	100.0		78.0
Westwood Middle School	Public	6-8	1262 NW 31st Drive	Gainesville	32605	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	No	No	(352) 955-6718	854	38	22.5	47.9%	285 (33.4%)	272 (31.9%)	199 (23.3%)	33 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	63 (7.4%)	30.4	904^th of 1216 public middle schools	25.7%		29.2	895^th of 1205 public middle schools	25.7%	9				50.0	45.0	53.0					34.0	54.0	19.0		44.0	64.0	84.0		48.0
Kanapaha Middle School	Public	6-8	5005 SW 75th St	Gainesville	32608	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	No	No	(352) 955-6960	1,014	48	20.9	49.9%	353 (34.8%)	311 (30.7%)	228 (22.5%)	58 (5.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (6.2%)	52	594^th of 1216 public middle schools	51.2%		58.3	483^rd of 1205 public middle schools	59.9%	111				57.0	66.0	66.0					49.0	69.0	39.0		51.0	96.0	100.0		74.0
The Einstein School Inc.	Public, Charter	2-8	5910 SW Archer Rd	Gainesville	32608	Alachua County	Alachua	Yes	No	No	No	(352) 335-4321	97	6	16.1	47.4%	39 (40.2%)	36 (37.1%)	9 (9.3%)	1 (1.0%)	2 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (10.3%)	10.4	1116^th of 1216 public middle schools	8.2%		6.3	1136^th of 1205 public middle schools	5.7%	20	15.0	0.0	43.0	24.0	22.0	9.0		0.0	6.0	15.0	6.0	28.0	55.0	46.0	27.0				47.0
Resilience Charter School Inc	Public, Charter	6-8	1717 NE 9th St	Gainesville	32609	Alachua County	Alachua	Yes	No	No	No	(352) 226-8675	107	3	35.6	71.0%	25 (23.4%)	69 (64.5%)	10 (9.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.8%)	18.9	1045^th of 1216 public middle schools	14.1%		19.1	1021^st of 1205 public middle schools	15.3%	24				54.0	42.0	44.0					25.0	21.0	19.0		36.0	36.0			65.0
Howard W. Bishop Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	1901 NE 9th St	Gainesville	32609	Alachua County	Alachua	No	Yes	No	No	(352) 955-6701	824	36	22.8	50.2%	226 (27.4%)	428 (51.9%)	73 (8.9%)	22 (2.7%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	70 (8.5%)	46.9	669^th of 1216 public middle schools	45.0%		44.1	682^nd of 1205 public middle schools	43.4%	13				59.0	62.0	60.0					38.0	57.0	27.0		57.0	77.0	100.0		79.0
Abraham Lincoln Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	1001 SE 12th St	Gainesville	32641	Alachua County	Alachua	No	Yes	No	No	(352) 955-6711	613	27	22.3	55.1%	147 (24.0%)	336 (54.8%)	27 (4.4%)	60 (9.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (6.9%)	52.3	590^th of 1216 public middle schools	51.5%		48.1	620^th of 1205 public middle schools	48.5%	30				61.0	69.0	65.0					43.0	60.0	23.0		58.0	89.0	100.0		78.0
A. L. Mebane Middle School	Public	6-8	16401 NW 140th St	Alachua	32615	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	No	No	(386) 462-1648	385	20	19.4	50.1%	166 (43.1%)	119 (30.9%)	56 (14.5%)	12 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (8.3%)	39.5	782^nd of 1216 public middle schools	35.7%		34.6	824^th of 1205 public middle schools	31.6%	42				58.0	52.0	51.0					72.0	52.0	32.0		38.0	72.0			62.0
Alachua Learning Academy Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	11100 W State Road 235	Alachua	32615	Alachua County	Alachua	Yes	No	No	No	(386) 418-2080	63	4	15.7	34.9%	41 (65.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (19.0%)	3 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (11.1%)	91.8	49^th of 1216 public middle schools	96.0%		93.4	40^th of 1205 public middle schools	96.7%	9				100.0	90.0	75.0	100.0				95.0	93.0			80.0	86.0		94.0	95.0
Oak View Middle School	Public, Magnet	5-8	1203 SW 250th St	Newberry	32669	Alachua County	Alachua	No	Yes	No	No	(352) 472-1102	962	44	21.9	44.0%	513 (53.3%)	218 (22.7%)	149 (15.5%)	17 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (6.8%)	59.8	474^th of 1216 public middle schools	61.0%		58.6	478^th of 1205 public middle schools	60.3%	4			58.0	64.0	64.0	74.0				59.0	55.0	63.0	45.0	64.0	63.0	87.0	100.0		74.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Fort Clarke Middle School

Is Fort Clarke Middle School a good school?

Fort Clarke Middle School ranks 572^nd of 1216 Florida middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Fort Clarke Middle School attend?

Students who attend Fort Clarke Middle School usually go on to attend F. W. Buchholz High School

What is the racial makeup of Fort Clarke Middle School?

Students at Fort Clarke Middle School are 40% White, 31% African American, 16% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

What district is Fort Clarke Middle School in?

Alachua

How many students attend Fort Clarke Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 840 students attended Fort Clarke Middle School.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.