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Tavares Middle School

Q: Is Tavares Middle School a good school?

Tavares Middle School ranks 842 nd of 1216 Florida middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

842^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,216 Florida Middle Schools

Better than 31% of Florida middle schools

Summary

Tavares Middle School in Tavares, FL, serves 933 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Lake district, which ranks in the 54th percentile statewide.

The most critical issue at Tavares Middle School is its exceptionally high chronic absenteeism rate of 42.3%, which is far above the state average of 31.4% and dramatically higher than nearby East Ridge Middle School at just 27.9%. This attendance crisis is likely dragging down overall academic performance, as proficiency in core subjects like FAST English Language Arts (49-55%) and FAST Math (38-54%) consistently falls below district and state averages. However, the school shows a remarkable strength in advanced math, with 100% of Geometry students and 77% of Algebra 1 students achieving proficiency on End-of-Course exams—scores that rival top-performing schools like East Ridge. This creates a "barbell effect" where the school excels with advanced students but struggles with the broader population.

Despite spending $11,126 per student—higher than Gray Middle School ($9,819) and East Ridge ($9,357)—Tavares Middle School has never earned more than a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger and ranks in the 31st percentile (842 out of 1216) as of 2025-2026. The comparison to East Ridge, which has a 4-star rating and a much lower free/reduced lunch population (20.84% vs. 48.02%), highlights how attendance and socioeconomic factors strongly influence outcomes. To improve, the school must first address its attendance crisis, as without a significant reduction in chronic absenteeism, it is unlikely to raise overall proficiency despite its pockets of excellence in advanced coursework.

933

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,126

Per pupil spending ?

48%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1335 Lane Park Cutoff Ofc
Tavares, FL 32778

(352) 343-4545

District: Lake

Students who attend Tavares Middle School usually attend:

High:

Tavares High School

Feeder schools for Tavares Middle School:

Elementary:	Astatula Elementary School
	Tavares Elementary School
	Treadway Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

50.2%

Hispanic:

23.9%

African American:

18.2%

See top rated Florida middle schools

Compare Tavares Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 36th percentile in 2016 → 31st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (54% vs 61% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 31% Florida)

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school54%

District avg58%

Florida avg61%

842^nd of 1,216

Florida public middle schools ?

Bottom 31%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From bottom 36% (2016) to bottom 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 9Middle Schools in the Lake

32^nd of 70Lake 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	35.2	842 of 1216	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.9	705 of 1205	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.5	787 of 1196	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.7	747 of 1177	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.2	797 of 1148	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.5	738 of 1136	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.9	571 of 1099	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.2	593 of 1035	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.3	643 of 1031	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	35.7	640 of 997	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	47.8	522 of 999	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	44.9	548 of 956	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	56.9	393 of 897	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	55.8	438 of 891	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	57.9	379 of 839	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.5	314 of 780	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	59.3	322 of 740	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	57.5	324 of 736	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	60.8	263 of 675	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2005	64.5	217 of 602	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	70.0	171 of 593	71.2%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Geometry100%+44 vs state

Algebra 177%+14 vs state

Civics69%-8 vs state

English Language Arts53%-9 vs state

Math47%-12 vs state

Science44%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Tavares 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
Tavares Middle School	Public	6-8	1335 Lane Park Cutoff Ofc	Tavares	32778	Lake County	Lake	No	No	No	No	(352) 343-4545	933	59	15.8	48.0%	468 (50.2%)	170 (18.2%)	223 (23.9%)	14 (1.5%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	55 (5.9%)	35.2	842^nd of 1216 public middle schools	30.8%		42.9	705^th of 1205 public middle schools	41.5%	137	55.0	54.0	49.0	45.0	38.0	54.0	44.0	77.0	100.0	69.0	$11,126	$1,105	$10,021
Mt. Dora Middle School	Public	6-8	1405 Lincoln Ave	Mount Dora	32757	Lake County	Lake	No	No	No	No	(352) 383-6101	845	41	20.4	40.0%	379 (44.9%)	137 (16.2%)	282 (33.4%)	10 (1.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	34 (4.0%)	37.4	815^th of 1216 public middle schools	33.0%		37.7	776^th of 1205 public middle schools	35.6%	39	52.0	54.0	50.0	54.0	24.0	56.0	49.0	79.0	91.0	71.0	$9,255	$611	$8,644
Eustis Middle School	Public	6-8	18725 Bates Ave	Eustis	32736	Lake County	Lake	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 357-3366	790	47	16.8	48.0%	333 (42.2%)	174 (22.0%)	217 (27.5%)	15 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (6.5%)	19.9	1038^th of 1216 public middle schools	14.6%		24.7	941^st of 1205 public middle schools	21.9%	97	46.0	40.0	41.0	32.0	18.0	42.0	39.0	88.0	100.0	58.0	$10,910	$1,203	$9,707
Oak Park Middle School	Public	6-8	2101 South St	Leesburg	34748	Lake County	Lake	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 787-3232	558	31	18.0	55.6%	131 (23.5%)	230 (41.2%)	141 (25.3%)	7 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.3%)	42 (7.5%)	16.8	1066^th of 1216 public middle schools	12.3%		20.4	996^th of 1205 public middle schools	17.3%	70	44.0	38.0	41.0	43.0	23.0	35.0	30.0	45.0	100.0	62.0	$11,681	$1,347	$10,333
Carver Middle School	Public	6-8	1200 N. Beecher St	Leesburg	34748	Lake County	Lake	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 787-7868	737	46	16.1	50.1%	233 (31.6%)	234 (31.8%)	211 (28.6%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (0.8%)	47 (6.4%)	32.5	882^nd of 1216 public middle schools	27.5%		25.2	938^th of 1205 public middle schools	22.2%	56	52.0	45.0	45.0	47.0	57.0	44.0	42.0	70.0	95.0	61.0	$11,773	$1,720	$10,053
Umatilla Middle School	Public	6-8	305 E Lake St	Umatilla	32784	Lake County	Lake	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 669-3171	633	32	19.7	44.5%	458 (72.4%)	22 (3.5%)	106 (16.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (7.0%)	44.3	706^th of 1216 public middle schools	41.9%		44.2	681^st of 1205 public middle schools	43.5%	25	57.0	55.0	51.0	70.0	38.0	53.0	49.0	80.0	100.0	74.0	$10,698	$1,360	$9,337
Wolf Lake Middle	Public	6-8	1725 W Ponkan Rd	Apopka	32712	Orange County	Orange	No	No	No	No	(407) 464-3317	1,146	55	20.8	43.2%	256 (22.3%)	472 (41.2%)	355 (31.0%)	19 (1.7%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	39 (3.4%)	52.6	585^th of 1216 public middle schools	51.9%		54.9	523^rd of 1205 public middle schools	56.6%	62	57.0	59.0	56.0	69.0	41.0	72.0	55.0	88.0	100.0	76.0	$10,519	$751	$9,767
Apopka Middle	Public	6-8	425 N Park Ave	Apopka	32712	Orange County	Orange	No	No	No	Yes	(407) 884-2208	858	41	20.9	54.0%	152 (17.7%)	221 (25.8%)	439 (51.2%)	16 (1.9%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.6%)	23 (2.7%)	31.2	894^th of 1216 public middle schools	26.5%		30.6	882^nd of 1205 public middle schools	26.8%	12	53.0	49.0	47.0	40.0	30.0	60.0	41.0	83.0		69.0	$10,938	$992	$9,946
East Ridge Middle School	Public	6-8	13201 Excalibur Rd	Clermont	34711	Lake County	Lake	No	No	No	No	(352) 536-8020	1,089	58	18.7	20.8%	481 (44.2%)	145 (13.3%)	347 (31.9%)	55 (5.1%)	6 (0.6%)	4 (0.4%)	51 (4.7%)	69.5	338^th of 1216 public middle schools	72.2%		71.5	311^th of 1205 public middle schools	74.2%	27	69.0	66.0	75.0	66.0	31.0	78.0	72.0	92.0	100.0	83.0	$9,357	$363	$8,995
Gray Middle School	Public	6-8	205 E Magnolia St	Groveland	34736	Lake County	Lake	No	No	No	No	(352) 429-3322	985	55	17.7	40.0%	332 (33.7%)	178 (18.1%)	411 (41.7%)	13 (1.3%)	3 (0.3%)	5 (0.5%)	43 (4.4%)	41.5	753^rd of 1216 public middle schools	38.1%		31.7	864^th of 1205 public middle schools	28.3%	111	62.0	51.0	48.0	63.0	33.0	57.0	49.0	77.0	88.0	69.0	$9,819	$470	$9,349

Frequently Asked Questions about Tavares Middle School

What high school do graduates of Tavares Middle School attend?

Students who attend Tavares Middle School usually go on to attend Tavares High School

How many students attend Tavares Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 933 students attended Tavares Middle School.

What district is Tavares Middle School in?

Lake

What is the racial makeup of Tavares Middle School?

Students at Tavares Middle School are 50% White, 24% Hispanic, 18% African American, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is Tavares Middle School a good school?

Tavares Middle School ranks 842^nd of 1216 Florida middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Tavares Middle School!

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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.