Santa Rosa High School

Santa Rosa High School in Milton, FL, is a small rural school serving 151 students in grades 9-12, and it is part of the high-performing Santa Rosa district. However, the school itself faces significant challenges, with a graduation rate of just 48.2%—less than half the district average of 93.1%—and a chronic absenteeism rate of 83.6%, which is over four times the district rate. Academic proficiency is also very low, with only 6% of students proficient in 10th-grade ELA and 8% in Geometry, compared to nearby schools like Pace High School and Milton High School, which consistently achieve proficiency rates 30-60 percentage points higher.

Despite spending more per student ($12,394) than any other traditional high school in the area—such as Pace High School ($7,966) and Milton High School ($8,777)—and having a low student-teacher ratio of 18.8:1, Santa Rosa High School has earned a 1-star rating for ten consecutive years. This paradox suggests that the core issue is not a lack of resources but rather systemic challenges related to student engagement and attendance, likely driven by the high poverty rate, with over 74% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's performance is more comparable to alternative schools like the Learning Academy of Santa Rosa and Escambia County Acceleration Academy, which also have very low graduation rates and high chronic absenteeism.

The contrast between Santa Rosa High School and nearby Pace High School—just 4 miles away—is stark, highlighting how socioeconomic factors can create vastly different outcomes within the same district. While Pace High School is a large, high-performing school with low poverty and excellent attendance, Santa Rosa High School is a small, struggling school with high poverty and catastrophic attendance. The data paints a clear picture of a vicious cycle: high poverty leads to high chronic absenteeism, which makes it impossible for students to keep up, resulting in low test scores and a critically low graduation rate. The single most impactful intervention for this school would be a comprehensive program to address the root causes of its 83%+ chronic absenteeism rate.