Renaissance Charter School At Summit

Renaissance Charter School At Summit is a K-8 charter school in West Palm Beach, FL, serving 985 students within the Palm Beach school district, and it faces significant challenges due to an extremely high poverty rate, with 97% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch in the 2024-2025 school year.

This school presents a unique "tale of two schools" under one roof. On one hand, its advanced students achieve exceptional results in high school-level courses like Algebra 1 and Geometry, with proficiency rates of 91% and 100% respectively, far exceeding district averages. On the other hand, the majority of students struggle on standard grade-level assessments, with only 34% of 3rd graders proficient in ELA and 50% in math—both well below district and state averages. This stark contrast suggests resources may be heavily focused on a select group of high-achievers, while the general student body falls behind. The school also has a chronic absenteeism rate of 33%, nearly 10 points higher than the district average, which directly impacts learning outcomes.

Compared to nearby schools, Renaissance Charter stands out for its extreme poverty rate, which is 34 points higher than the next closest school, Meadow Park Elementary School (53% free/reduced lunch). Despite serving a much higher-needs population, the school spends significantly less per student—$9,746 compared to roughly $16,000 at nearby public elementary schools. This under-resourcing, combined with a dramatic single-year increase in poverty from 74% to 97%, helps explain the school's low 1-star rating and consistent ranking in the bottom 25-30% of Florida elementary schools. The contrast with nearby Meadow Park Elementary, a high-performing 4-star school just half a mile away, highlights how poverty and resource disparities can dramatically affect academic outcomes.