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Murdock Middle School

Q: Is Murdock Middle School a good school?

Murdock Middle School ranks 747 th of 1216 Florida middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

747^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,216 Florida Middle Schools

Better than 39% of Florida middle schools

Summary

Murdock Middle School is a public school in Port Charlotte, FL, serving 656 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Charlotte district, where over half of the student body comes from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Murdock presents a fascinating paradox: it excels in advanced coursework but struggles with grade-level math. An impressive 83% of students taking Algebra 1 passed the End-of-Course exam, dramatically outperforming the district average (56%) and state average (63%), and even surpassing nearby schools like L. A. Ainger Middle School (77%). However, only 35% of 7th graders are proficient in grade-level math, well below the district (46%) and state (53%) averages. This suggests the school effectively accelerates its top math students but struggles to support the majority. The school's biggest challenge is chronic absenteeism, with a rate of 36.7%—significantly higher than district peers like Punta Gorda Middle School (35.4%) and far exceeding Sarasota schools like Student Leadership Academy (14.0%). This high disengagement rate is likely a primary driver of the school's overall low state ranking.

Compared to other Charlotte County schools, Murdock is the lowest-performing, with L. A. Ainger Middle School just 10 miles away showing much stronger results across subjects. When compared to Sarasota schools, the most comparable is Heron Creek Middle School, which has a similar high poverty rate but still outperforms Murdock in most subjects. There is a glimmer of hope in 8th grade science, where scores have shown improvement over recent years, reaching 48% proficiency in 2024-2025 before a slight dip. For parents, this means Murdock offers a strong advanced math program for high-achieving students, but families should be aware of the challenges with chronic absenteeism and grade-level math instruction that affect the majority of students.

656

Students ?

19.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,805

Per pupil spending ?

53.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

17325 Mariner Way
Port Charlotte, FL 33948

(941) 255-7525

District: Charlotte

Students who attend Murdock Middle School usually attend:

High:

Port Charlotte High School

Feeder schools for Murdock Middle School:

Elementary:	Liberty Elementary School
	Meadow Park Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.2%

Hispanic:

23.3%

African American:

14.0%

See top rated Florida middle schools

Compare Murdock Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 45th percentile in 2016 → 39th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

!Near the bottom of Charlotte's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school58%

District avg61%

Florida avg62%

747^th of 1,216

Florida public middle schools ?

Bottom 39%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 45% (2016) to bottom 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Middle Schools in the Charlotte

29^th of 70Charlotte 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	42.0	747 of 1216	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.9	625 of 1205	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.7	632 of 1196	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.4	502 of 1177	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.6	619 of 1148	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.7	562 of 1136	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.6	646 of 1099	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.2	611 of 1035	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	45.1	561 of 1031	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	45.1	547 of 997	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	38.7	620 of 999	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	50.8	475 of 956	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	53.1	435 of 897	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	62.6	348 of 891	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	64.9	310 of 839	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.2	321 of 780	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	64.2	282 of 740	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	61.0	294 of 736	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	63.9	236 of 675	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2005	70.8	159 of 602	73.6%	★★★★☆
2004	76.2	124 of 593	79.1%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Algebra 183%+20 vs state

Civics75%~ state avg

English Language Arts57%-5 vs state

Math52%-6 vs state

Science43%-9 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, August 2, 2011

I love this school. I had two children there. (one still goes) The teachers try all kinds of things to motivate them and help them succeed. They have some issues, like all middle schools, but they take action to handle them. Close Quote

Schools Near Murdock 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 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 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Murdock Middle School	Public	6-8	17325 Mariner Way	Port Charlotte	33948	Charlotte County	Charlotte	No	No	No	Yes	(941) 255-7525	656	34	19.2	53.8%	349 (53.2%)	92 (14.0%)	153 (23.3%)	13 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	46 (7.0%)	42	747^th of 1216 public middle schools	38.6%		47.9	625^th of 1205 public middle schools	48.1%	122	55.0	61.0	54.0	55.0	35.0	59.0	43.0	83.0		75.0	$11,805	$678	$11,128
Port Charlotte Middle School	Public	6-8	23000 Midway Blvd	Port Charlotte	33952	Charlotte County	Charlotte	No	No	No	Yes	(941) 255-7460	858	45	19.0	53.5%	411 (47.9%)	127 (14.8%)	229 (26.7%)	17 (2.0%)	4 (0.5%)	3 (0.3%)	67 (7.8%)	55.7	531^st of 1216 public middle schools	56.3%		56.1	510^th of 1205 public middle schools	57.7%	21	63.0	68.0	61.0	58.0	41.0	73.0	52.0	88.0		85.0	$11,327	$634	$10,693
Heron Creek Middle School	Public	6-8	6501 W Price Blvd	North Port	34291	Sarasota County	Sarasota	No	No	No	No	(941) 480-3371	945	64	14.7	68.8%	570 (60.3%)	73 (7.7%)	201 (21.3%)	13 (1.4%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	84 (8.9%)	59.5	477^th of 1216 public middle schools	60.8%		58.4	480^th of 1205 public middle schools	60.2%	3	60.0	61.0	64.0	58.0	82.0	53.0	59.0	80.0	100.0	89.0	$16,195	$2,072	$14,123
Woodland Middle School	Public	6-8	2700 Panacea Blvd	North Port	34289	Sarasota County	Sarasota	No	No	No	No	(941) 240-8590	1,040	62	16.7	51.2%	630 (60.6%)	93 (8.9%)	217 (20.9%)	18 (1.7%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	80 (7.7%)	49.7	626^th of 1216 public middle schools	48.5%		55.8	512^th of 1205 public middle schools	57.5%	114	60.0	57.0	58.0	59.0	65.0	32.0	54.0	90.0	100.0	81.0	$12,642	$232	$12,411
Punta Gorda Middle School	Public	6-8	1001 Education Ave	Punta Gorda	33950	Charlotte County	Charlotte	No	No	No	No	(941) 575-5485	1,098	57	19.2	42.6%	744 (67.8%)	79 (7.2%)	182 (16.6%)	26 (2.4%)	4 (0.4%)	6 (0.5%)	57 (5.2%)	53.4	566^th of 1216 public middle schools	53.5%		43.6	693^rd of 1205 public middle schools	42.5%	127	62.0	57.0	62.0	68.0	34.0	67.0	54.0	84.0		70.0	$10,513	$398	$10,116
L. A. Ainger Middle School	Public	6-8	245 Cougar Way	Rotonda West	33947	Charlotte County	Charlotte	No	No	No	No	(941) 625-9600	625	37	16.8	37.0%	466 (74.6%)	26 (4.2%)	87 (13.9%)	12 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.3%)	65.3	387^th of 1216 public middle schools	68.2%		59.8	464^th of 1205 public middle schools	61.5%	77	71.0	66.0	60.0	68.0	67.0	73.0	59.0	77.0	92.0	83.0	$12,414	$425	$11,988
Venice Middle School	Public	6-8	1900 Center Rd	Venice	34292	Sarasota County	Sarasota	No	No	No	No	(941) 486-2100	732	45	16.2	39.5%	533 (72.8%)	11 (1.5%)	108 (14.8%)	16 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (8.7%)	60.5	465^th of 1216 public middle schools	61.8%		70.6	321^st of 1205 public middle schools	73.4%	144	64.0	64.0	70.0	49.0	72.0	28.0	65.0	89.0	95.0	87.0	$13,744	$205	$13,539
Sky Academy Venice	Public, Charter	6-8	701 Center Rd	Venice	34285	Sarasota County	Sarasota	Yes	No	No	No	(941) 244-2626	293	20	14.6	4.8%	209 (71.3%)	11 (3.8%)	54 (18.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.8%)	59.7	476^th of 1216 public middle schools	60.9%		47.5	630^th of 1205 public middle schools	47.7%	154	64.0	51.0	57.0	73.0	87.0	52.0	60.0	78.0		88.0	$9,614	$389	$9,225
Sky Academy Englewood	Public, Charter	6-8	701 W Center Rd	Venice	34285	Sarasota County	Sarasota	Yes	No	No	No	(941) 999-4775	327	20	16.3	1.5%	261 (79.8%)	6 (1.8%)	35 (10.7%)	7 (2.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.2%)	75.7	252^nd of 1216 public middle schools	79.3%		80.4	203^rd of 1205 public middle schools	83.2%	49	74.0	83.0	68.0	82.0	82.0	45.0	57.0	74.0		90.0	$11,163	$1,052	$10,110
Student Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	6-8	200 Field Ave E	Venice	34285	Sarasota County	Sarasota	Yes	No	No	No	(941) 485-5551	328	20	16.5	18.9%	272 (82.9%)	3 (0.9%)	27 (8.2%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (6.7%)	88.5	87^th of 1216 public middle schools	92.8%		86.3	130^th of 1205 public middle schools	89.2%	43	83.0	80.0	81.0	94.0	95.0	80.0	72.0	100.0		92.0	$11,101	$530	$10,571

Frequently Asked Questions about Murdock Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Murdock Middle School?

Students at Murdock Middle School are 53% White, 23% Hispanic, 14% African American, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Murdock Middle School in?

Charlotte

What high school do graduates of Murdock Middle School attend?

Students who attend Murdock Middle School usually go on to attend Port Charlotte High School

How many students attend Murdock Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 656 students attended Murdock Middle School.

Is Murdock Middle School a good school?

Murdock Middle School ranks 747^th of 1216 Florida middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Murdock Middle School!

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Latest Florida data All new data »

2025–26 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataMar 20, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2025

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.