Marianna K-8 School

Marianna K-8 School in Marianna, FL, is a large combined elementary and middle school serving 1,685 students in grades K-8 within the Jackson district, where nearly 60% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

This school stands out for its strong advanced coursework, with 80% of students proficient in Algebra 1 and 79% in Civics—well above state averages. However, it faces a significant challenge in middle school math: while 3rd and 4th graders achieve strong math proficiency (59% and 68%), this drops to just 38% by 6th and 8th grade, far below the state average of 60-61%. Science is also a persistent weakness, with only 44% of 5th graders and 45% of 8th graders proficient, compared to state averages of 60% and 52%. Chronic absenteeism is high at 38.8%, though this is lower than nearby Sneads Elementary School (43.1%) and Cottondale Elementary School (40.3%).

Compared to its peers, Marianna K-8 offers a unique K-8 configuration and higher spending per student ($10,650), but its overall state ranking has declined from 3 stars (53rd percentile) in 2022-2023 to 2 stars (32nd percentile) for 2025-2026. Notably, Sneads Elementary, despite similar demographics, is a high-performing 4-star school (75th percentile) with 86% of 3rd graders proficient in math versus 59% at Marianna K-8, suggesting opportunities for improvement. Meanwhile, Cottondale Elementary (1 star, 24th percentile) outperformed Marianna K-8 in 5th-grade science (49% vs. 44%), highlighting that even struggling schools can have areas of strength.