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James Rickards High School

Q: Is James Rickards High School a good school?

James Rickards High School ranks 585 th of 844 Florida high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

585^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 844 Florida High Schools

Better than 31% of Florida high schools

Summary

James Rickards High School is a public magnet high school in Tallahassee, Florida, serving 1,575 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Leon District, which is ranked 47 out of 67 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While James Rickards High School offers a magnet program, its academic performance lags behind many of its peers in the area. The school consistently underperforms the Leon District and the state of Florida in standardized test scores, with only 35% of students proficient or better in Algebra 1 EOC, compared to 59% in the district and 60% statewide. The school's four-year graduation rate of 88-90% is also slightly lower than the state average of around 90%. Additionally, James Rickards High School has a high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 30.9% to 65.7% in recent years, significantly higher than the state average.

When comparing James Rickards High School to other nearby schools in the Leon District, such as Lincoln High School and SAIL, the school performs significantly worse on most metrics. This suggests that James Rickards High School has been consistently underperforming and may benefit from targeted interventions and support to address the areas of concern, such as improving attendance, providing additional academic support, and addressing the needs of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

1,718

Students ?

26.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,745

Per pupil spending ?

51.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3013 Jim Lee Rd
Tallahassee, FL 32301

(850) 414-5500

District: Leon

Feeder schools for James Rickards High School:

Elementary:	Bond Elementary School
	Frank Hartsfield Elementary School
	J Michael Conley Elementary School At Southwood
	Oak Ridge Elementary School
	More...
	Pineview Elementary School
	Woodville School
Middle:	Fairview Middle School
	R. Frank Nims Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

71.0%

Hispanic:

10.2%

White:

7.7%

See top rated Florida high schools

Compare James Rickards High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 19th percentile in 2014 → 31st in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (44% vs 62% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (66% vs 31% Florida)

!Algebra 1 scores 25 pts below the Florida average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg60%

Florida avg62%

585^th of 844

Florida public high schools ?

Bottom 31%▲ up 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 27% (2016) to bottom 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 8High Schools in the Leon

47^th of 67Leon 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
2025	30.2	585 of 844	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.6	510 of 807	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.2	477 of 792	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.7	508 of 774	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.0	509 of 746	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.5	409 of 734	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.0	474 of 716	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	41.1	359 of 714	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	23.8	505 of 693	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	17.0	555 of 687	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	25.6	488 of 648	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	28.3	418 of 606	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	47.1	362 of 622	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	45.6	382 of 620	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	47.2	345 of 587	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	52.4	291 of 577	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	57.2	243 of 563	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	56.9	214 of 477	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2005	73.5	119 of 487	75.6%	★★★★☆
2004	56.9	224 of 484	53.7%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

Biology 188%+17 vs state

US History80%+9 vs state

English Language Arts40%-17 vs state

Geometry39%-16 vs state

Algebra 135%-25 vs state

5.0

3 ratings · 1 written review

5★3

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, July 14, 2011

James S. Rickards High School is a GREAT school under the present leadership (Gayle, Wright, Edwards and Whitfield). Close Quote

Schools Near James Rickards High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				FAST English Language Arts (2025)		EOC Algebra 1 (2025)	EOC Geometry (2025)	EOC Biology 1 (2025)	EOC US History (2025)	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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 9th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 10th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Biology 1 End of Course	EOC US History End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
James Rickards High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	3013 Jim Lee Rd	Tallahassee	32301	Leon County	Leon	No	Yes	No	Yes	(850) 414-5500	1,718	66	26.1	51.7%	133 (7.7%)	1,220 (71.0%)	175 (10.2%)	112 (6.5%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	75 (4.4%)	30.2	585^th of 844 public high schools	30.7%		32.6	510^th of 807 public high schools	36.8%	75	41.0	38.0	35.0	39.0	88.0	80.0	$8,745	$1,397	$7,348
Pace Center For Girls	Public	6-12	1344 Cross Creek Cir	Tallahassee	32301	Leon County	Leon	No	No	No	No	(850) 921-9280	44	3	14.6	93.2%	7 (15.9%)	30 (68.2%)	3 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (6.8%)								(n/a)							$10,867	$00	$10,867
Leon High School	Public	9-12	550 E Tennessee St	Tallahassee	32308	Leon County	Leon	No	No	No	No	(850) 488-1971	1,793	74	24.3	31.2%	714 (39.8%)	684 (38.1%)	213 (11.9%)	49 (2.7%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	131 (7.3%)	46.7	377^th of 844 public high schools	55.3%		48.4	321^st of 807 public high schools	60.2%	56	60.0	62.0	37.0	44.0	56.0	70.0	$8,481	$524	$7,956
Leon County Virtual School Franchise	Public, Virtual	6-12	283 Trojan Trl	Tallahassee	32311	Leon County	Leon	No	No	Yes	No	(850) 487-7247	88	5	17.6	6.8%	51 (58.0%)	25 (28.4%)	4 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (9.1%)	59.9	221^st of 844 public high schools	73.8%		56.8	237^th of 807 public high schools	70.6%	16	58.0	71.0	60.0	40.0		80.0	$11,896	$00	$11,895
Lincoln High School	Public	9-12	3838 Trojan Trl	Tallahassee	32311	Leon County	Leon	No	No	No	No	(850) 487-2110	1,822	68	26.6	23.1%	768 (42.2%)	651 (35.7%)	178 (9.8%)	82 (4.5%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	140 (7.7%)	43.8	413^th of 844 public high schools	51.1%		46.9	338^th of 807 public high schools	58.1%	75	59.0	59.0	38.0	42.0	64.0	63.0	$7,845	$487	$7,357
Sail	Public	9-12	2006 Jackson Bluff Rd	Tallahassee	32304	Leon County	Leon	No	No	No	No	(850) 488-2468	359	19	18.5	29.0%	219 (61.0%)	62 (17.3%)	39 (10.9%)	5 (1.4%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (8.4%)	66.4	174^th of 844 public high schools	79.4%		66.5	159^th of 807 public high schools	80.3%	15	72.0	81.0	50.0	50.0	81.0	87.0	$12,884	$743	$12,141
Leon County Jail	Public	6-12	860 Blountstown St	Tallahassee	32304	Leon County	Leon	No	No	No	No	(850) 410-1249	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Amos P. Godby High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	1717 W Tharpe St	Tallahassee	32304	Leon County	Leon	No	Yes	No	Yes	(850) 488-1325	1,388	65	21.5	57.4%	149 (10.7%)	956 (68.9%)	203 (14.6%)	7 (0.5%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	70 (5.0%)	20.2	664^th of 844 public high schools	21.3%		23.1	614^th of 807 public high schools	23.9%	50	28.0	30.0	20.0	33.0	56.0	61.0	$9,499	$1,566	$7,934
Lively Technical College	Public	9-12	500 Appleyard Dr	Tallahassee	32304	Leon County	Leon	No	No	No	No	(850) 487-7555	0	5	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Tallahassee Collegiate Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	444 Appleyard Dr	Tallahassee	32304	Leon County	Tsc	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(850) 504-6300	273	13	21.0	4.4%	79 (28.9%)	149 (54.6%)	33 (12.1%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.3%)	66.9	171^st of 844 public high schools	79.7%					(n/a)	61.0	74.0	34.0	60.0	98.0	94.0

Frequently Asked Questions about James Rickards High School

What district is James Rickards High School in?

Leon

How many students attend James Rickards High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,718 students attended James Rickards High School.

What is the racial makeup of James Rickards High School?

Students at James Rickards High School are 71% African American, 10% Hispanic, 8% White, 7% Asian, 4% Two or more races.

What schools feed into James Rickards High School?

James Rickards High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bond Elementary School
Elementary : Frank Hartsfield Elementary School
Elementary : J Michael Conley Elementary School At Southwood
Elementary : Oak Ridge Elementary School
Elementary : Pineview Elementary School
Elementary : Woodville School
Middle : Fairview Middle School
Middle : R. Frank Nims Middle School

Is James Rickards High School a good school?

James Rickards High School ranks 585^th of 844 Florida high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate James Rickards High 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.