Cypress Run Alternative Center

Cypress Run Alternative Center in Pompano Beach, FL, is a small K-12 alternative school within the Broward school district, serving about 150 students who have struggled in traditional school settings due to behavioral, academic, or personal challenges. The school invests heavily in its students, spending over $54,000 per pupil—far more than nearby high-performing schools like A.D. Henderson University School & Fau High School ($9,201) or Broward Math And Science Schools ($10,954)—and maintains a very low student-to-teacher ratio of 8.8:1. However, these resources have not yet overcome the profound challenges its population faces, as the school's graduation rate was just 5% in 2024-2025, compared to the district average of 91.4%.

The most defining issue at Cypress Run is extreme chronic absenteeism, with 76.6% of students missing significant school in 2023-2024—more than double the district average of 33.6% and even higher than the 70.4% rate at the nearby Cross Creek School, another alternative school just 1.68 miles away. This attendance crisis directly drives the school's low academic performance, where proficiency rates in subjects like Algebra 1 and 8th-grade ELA hover in the single digits. The data suggests that until the school can consistently get students in the door, academic interventions are unlikely to succeed. Interestingly, while both Cypress Run and Cross Creek serve similarly challenged populations, Cross Creek achieved a 62.5% graduation rate in 2023-2024, compared to Cypress Run's 14.3% that same year, indicating that Cross Creek has found a more effective model for keeping students on track.

Despite these struggles, there are glimmers of hope. The graduation rate has shown volatility, jumping from 0% in 2018-2019 to 25% in 2019-2020, suggesting that the school can successfully graduate some students when the right supports are in place. The key takeaway for parents is that Cypress Run is not a "bad" school, but rather one serving a population with immense needs that extend far beyond the classroom. The school's high spending and low class sizes reflect a genuine commitment to intensive support, but the data makes clear that the primary battle is simply getting students to attend regularly. For families considering this option, understanding that attendance is the foundational challenge—and that the school's academic outcomes are a direct symptom of this crisis—is essential for setting realistic expectations.