Jinks Middle School

Jinks Middle School is a public middle school located in Panama City, Florida, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 583 students. The school is part of the Bay District and is rated 3 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger. Over the past several years, Jinks Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Florida middle schools, with its highest ranking being 722 out of 1,148 schools in the 2021-2022 school year.

Jinks Middle School faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 30.9% to 49.4% over the past few years, significantly higher than the district and state averages. The school's test scores are also consistently lower than the district and state averages across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Jinks Middle School's proficiency rates in FAST English Language Arts and Math for 6th-8th grades were 30-51%, compared to the district's 55-61% and the state's 55-60%. Additionally, Jinks Middle School has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 64.67% to 70% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages.

Interestingly, the nearby middle schools, such as Merritt Brown Middle School, North Bay Haven Charter Academy Middle School, and Bay Haven Charter Middle School, generally outperform Jinks Middle School in terms of test scores, school rankings, and other key metrics. These schools have higher proficiency rates, lower chronic absenteeism, and lower free and reduced lunch rates. While Jinks Middle School has a relatively high spending per student, ranging from $10,922 to $12,891 over the past few years, this may indicate the need for additional resources and support to address the challenges faced by the student population.