Fox Chapel Middle School

Fox Chapel Middle School in Spring Hill, FL, serves 815 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Hernando district, where 65% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school’s most pressing challenge is a critically high chronic absenteeism rate of 52.8% for the 2023-2024 school year—far above the state average of 31.4% and every nearby school, including Powell Middle School (42.6%) and the magnet Gulf Coast Academy Of Science And Technology (5.1%). This attendance issue is strongly linked to the school’s low academic performance, with proficiency rates in core subjects like 6th-grade math (41%) and 7th-grade ELA (53%) trailing both district and state averages.

Despite these struggles, Fox Chapel shows a striking “bright spot” in advanced coursework. Students in Algebra 1 and Geometry EOCs achieve proficiency rates of 82% and 63%, respectively—outpacing the district and state. This creates a “tale of two schools” within one building: the general student body performs in the 30s and 40s percentile range, while advanced learners rival top magnet schools like Brooksville Engineering Science And Technology (B.E.S.T.). Notably, Fox Chapel spends $11,048 per student—more than better-performing peers like Powell Middle School ($9,210)—suggesting funding isn’t the core issue, but rather how resources are allocated amid high poverty and absenteeism.

Compared to its closest rival, Powell Middle School (just 4.9 miles away with a similar poverty rate of 53%), Fox Chapel lags in nearly every metric, including state ranking (29th vs. 46th percentile). However, there’s a slight upward trend: the school’s rank has improved from the 12th percentile in 2022-2023 to the 29th percentile in 2025-2026, indicating recent interventions may be slowly taking effect. For parents, the key takeaway is that while Fox Chapel offers strong advanced programs, addressing chronic absenteeism is critical to improving outcomes for the majority of students.