Westpine Middle School

Westpine Middle School in Sunrise, FL, serves 730 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Broward district, a school that presents a fascinating paradox: it excels at accelerating top students in advanced math while its general student body struggles with grade-level math and science.

Westpine is a standout performer in advanced math, with 86% of students proficient in Algebra 1 and 79% in Geometry End-of-Course exams, significantly outperforming district and state averages. However, only 30% of 8th graders were proficient in grade-level math and 33% in science, compared to state averages of 61% and 52% respectively. This "tale of two schools" suggests the school's advanced programs are exceptional, but its core instruction may need attention. On a positive note, English Language Arts scores are a relative bright spot, with proficiency rates close to or above state averages across all grades. The school spends $12,034 per student, higher than nearby Indian Ridge Middle School ($9,351) and Ramblewood Middle School ($10,719), yet its overall ranking is lower than both. Chronic absenteeism is a concern at 33.6%, much higher than nearby charter schools like Somerset Academy Riverside Charter Middle School (9.8%) and Eagles Nest Middle Charter School (10.2%).

Interestingly, North Broward Academy Of Excellence Middle, a charter school just 2.5 miles away, significantly outperforms Westpine in nearly every metric despite having a much higher poverty rate. This comparison suggests that socioeconomic factors alone don't determine success, and that instructional models or school culture may play a key role. Westpine's rapidly declining free/reduced lunch rate (from 64.5% to 38.5% in two years) indicates a changing neighborhood, which may be complicating its efforts. For parents, Westpine offers a strong advanced math program for high-achieving students, but families should investigate how the school supports grade-level learners, especially in math and science.