Summary
Fessenden Elementary School is a public elementary school in Ocala, Florida, serving grades PK-5 with a student population of 431. The school is part of the Marion School District, which is ranked 62 out of 67 districts in Florida and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Fessenden Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Florida elementary schools, with a ranking between 1602 and 2160 out of around 2,200-2,300 schools over the past several years.
Fessenden Elementary faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 30.9% to 39.8%, which are significantly higher than the state and district averages. The school also consistently underperforms the state and district averages on standardized tests across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates were 31% in 5th grade science, 22-43% in ELA, and 27-40% in math, compared to state averages of 55%, 56-57%, and 57-63%, respectively. Additionally, Fessenden Elementary has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 77.23% to 78.9%, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages.
Interestingly, the nearby Madison Street Academy Of Visual And Performing Arts and Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary magnet schools significantly outperform Fessenden Elementary on test scores and other metrics, despite serving similar student populations. This suggests that the magnet school model may be more effective in supporting student success. While Fessenden Elementary receives relatively high funding, with spending per student ranging from $10,748 to $13,660 per year, the school has not been able to translate this into improved student outcomes, indicating that simply increasing funding may not be enough to address the specific challenges faced by its student population.
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