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Heron Creek Middle School

Q: Is Heron Creek Middle School a good school?

Heron Creek Middle School ranks 477 th of 1216 Florida middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

477^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,216 Florida Middle Schools

Better than 61% of Florida middle schools

Summary

Heron Creek Middle School in North Port, FL, serves 945 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the high-performing Sarasota district, which ranks in the top 13% of Florida districts. The school has a consistent 3-star rating from SchoolDigger, placing it in the 58th-61st percentile statewide, but it serves a predominantly low-income population, with nearly 69% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. This context is key to understanding its performance compared to nearby schools.

Heron Creek stands out for its exceptional advanced math program: 100% of students taking the Geometry EOC have scored proficient for four consecutive years, far exceeding district (67%) and state (56%) averages. However, the school shows a "tale of two math programs"—while advanced math excels, grade-level math proficiency lags behind district averages (e.g., 6th-grade math at 58% vs. 67% district). Chronic absenteeism is a significant concern, with 21.4% of students chronically absent in 2023-2024, higher than nearby Woodland Middle School (13.5%) and Sky Academy Venice (13.9%). Despite these challenges, Heron Creek outperforms its closest demographic peer, Woodland Middle, in most subjects, particularly 7th-grade math (82% vs. 65%) and 7th-grade ELA (61% vs. 57%).

The school spends significantly more per student ($16,195) than any nearby peer, including Venice Middle School ($13,744) and Sky Academy Englewood ($9,614), likely reflecting efforts to support its high-needs population. A bright spot is Civics, where 89% of students are proficient, outperforming both the district (86%) and state (77%). However, 8th-grade science proficiency (59%) falls below the district average (62%). Overall, Heron Creek is a solid, average-performing school with a world-class advanced math program, but its primary challenge is translating high spending and success with top students into broader gains for the majority, particularly in grade-level math and science.

945

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,195

Per pupil spending ?

68.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6501 W Price Blvd
North Port, FL 34291

(941) 480-3371

District: Sarasota

Students who attend Heron Creek Middle School usually attend:

High:

North Port High School

Feeder schools for Heron Creek Middle School:

Elementary:	Cranberry Elementary School
	Glenallen Elementary School
	Lamarque Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.3%

Hispanic:

21.3%

Two or more races:

8.9%

See top rated Florida middle schools

Compare Heron Creek Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 72nd percentile in 2016 → 61st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Florida average (69% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Above the Florida median (61st percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school69%

District avg70%

Florida avg61%

477^th of 1,216

Florida public middle schools ?

Top 39%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From top 28% (2016) to top 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 11Middle Schools in the Sarasota

9^th of 70Sarasota 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	59.5	477 of 1216	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.4	480 of 1205	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.1	488 of 1196	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.7	500 of 1177	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.6	559 of 1148	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.8	472 of 1136	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.2	446 of 1099	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.9	402 of 1035	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	62.7	360 of 1031	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	69.0	284 of 997	71.5%	★★★★☆
2014	67.4	308 of 999	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	69.6	270 of 956	71.8%	★★★★☆
2012	69.9	256 of 897	71.5%	★★★★☆
2011	69.3	280 of 891	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	59.7	360 of 839	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	62.4	301 of 780	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	63.8	293 of 740	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	61.7	285 of 736	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	57.2	302 of 675	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	48.6	339 of 602	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2004	44.8	353 of 593	40.5%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Geometry100%+44 vs state

Civics89%+12 vs state

Algebra 180%+17 vs state

Math68%+10 vs state

English Language Arts62%~ state avg

Science59%+7 vs state

5.0

1 rating

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Schools Near Heron Creek 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
Heron Creek Middle School	Public	6-8	6501 W Price Blvd	North Port	34291	Sarasota County	Sarasota	No	No	No	No	(941) 480-3371	945	64	14.7	68.8%	570 (60.3%)	73 (7.7%)	201 (21.3%)	13 (1.4%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	84 (8.9%)	59.5	477^th of 1216 public middle schools	60.8%		58.4	480^th of 1205 public middle schools	60.2%	3	60.0	61.0	64.0	58.0	82.0	53.0	59.0	80.0	100.0	89.0	$16,195	$2,072	$14,123
Murdock Middle School	Public	6-8	17325 Mariner Way	Port Charlotte	33948	Charlotte County	Charlotte	No	No	No	Yes	(941) 255-7525	656	34	19.2	53.8%	349 (53.2%)	92 (14.0%)	153 (23.3%)	13 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	46 (7.0%)	42	747^th of 1216 public middle schools	38.6%		47.9	625^th of 1205 public middle schools	48.1%	122	55.0	61.0	54.0	55.0	35.0	59.0	43.0	83.0		75.0	$11,805	$678	$11,128
Woodland Middle School	Public	6-8	2700 Panacea Blvd	North Port	34289	Sarasota County	Sarasota	No	No	No	No	(941) 240-8590	1,040	62	16.7	51.2%	630 (60.6%)	93 (8.9%)	217 (20.9%)	18 (1.7%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	80 (7.7%)	49.7	626^th of 1216 public middle schools	48.5%		55.8	512^th of 1205 public middle schools	57.5%	114	60.0	57.0	58.0	59.0	65.0	32.0	54.0	90.0	100.0	81.0	$12,642	$232	$12,411
Venice Middle School	Public	6-8	1900 Center Rd	Venice	34292	Sarasota County	Sarasota	No	No	No	No	(941) 486-2100	732	45	16.2	39.5%	533 (72.8%)	11 (1.5%)	108 (14.8%)	16 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (8.7%)	60.5	465^th of 1216 public middle schools	61.8%		70.6	321^st of 1205 public middle schools	73.4%	144	64.0	64.0	70.0	49.0	72.0	28.0	65.0	89.0	95.0	87.0	$13,744	$205	$13,539
Port Charlotte Middle School	Public	6-8	23000 Midway Blvd	Port Charlotte	33952	Charlotte County	Charlotte	No	No	No	Yes	(941) 255-7460	858	45	19.0	53.5%	411 (47.9%)	127 (14.8%)	229 (26.7%)	17 (2.0%)	4 (0.5%)	3 (0.3%)	67 (7.8%)	55.7	531^st of 1216 public middle schools	56.3%		56.1	510^th of 1205 public middle schools	57.7%	21	63.0	68.0	61.0	58.0	41.0	73.0	52.0	88.0		85.0	$11,327	$634	$10,693
Sky Academy Venice	Public, Charter	6-8	701 Center Rd	Venice	34285	Sarasota County	Sarasota	Yes	No	No	No	(941) 244-2626	293	20	14.6	4.8%	209 (71.3%)	11 (3.8%)	54 (18.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.8%)	59.7	476^th of 1216 public middle schools	60.9%		47.5	630^th of 1205 public middle schools	47.7%	154	64.0	51.0	57.0	73.0	87.0	52.0	60.0	78.0		88.0	$9,614	$389	$9,225
Sky Academy Englewood	Public, Charter	6-8	701 W Center Rd	Venice	34285	Sarasota County	Sarasota	Yes	No	No	No	(941) 999-4775	327	20	16.3	1.5%	261 (79.8%)	6 (1.8%)	35 (10.7%)	7 (2.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.2%)	75.7	252^nd of 1216 public middle schools	79.3%		80.4	203^rd of 1205 public middle schools	83.2%	49	74.0	83.0	68.0	82.0	82.0	45.0	57.0	74.0		90.0	$11,163	$1,052	$10,110
L. A. Ainger Middle School	Public	6-8	245 Cougar Way	Rotonda West	33947	Charlotte County	Charlotte	No	No	No	No	(941) 625-9600	625	37	16.8	37.0%	466 (74.6%)	26 (4.2%)	87 (13.9%)	12 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.3%)	65.3	387^th of 1216 public middle schools	68.2%		59.8	464^th of 1205 public middle schools	61.5%	77	71.0	66.0	60.0	68.0	67.0	73.0	59.0	77.0	92.0	83.0	$12,414	$425	$11,988
Student Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	6-8	200 Field Ave E	Venice	34285	Sarasota County	Sarasota	Yes	No	No	No	(941) 485-5551	328	20	16.5	18.9%	272 (82.9%)	3 (0.9%)	27 (8.2%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (6.7%)	88.5	87^th of 1216 public middle schools	92.8%		86.3	130^th of 1205 public middle schools	89.2%	43	83.0	80.0	81.0	94.0	95.0	80.0	72.0	100.0		92.0	$11,101	$530	$10,571
Punta Gorda Middle School	Public	6-8	1001 Education Ave	Punta Gorda	33950	Charlotte County	Charlotte	No	No	No	No	(941) 575-5485	1,098	57	19.2	42.6%	744 (67.8%)	79 (7.2%)	182 (16.6%)	26 (2.4%)	4 (0.4%)	6 (0.5%)	57 (5.2%)	53.4	566^th of 1216 public middle schools	53.5%		43.6	693^rd of 1205 public middle schools	42.5%	127	62.0	57.0	62.0	68.0	34.0	67.0	54.0	84.0		70.0	$10,513	$398	$10,116

Frequently Asked Questions about Heron Creek Middle School

What district is Heron Creek Middle School in?

Sarasota

What is the racial makeup of Heron Creek Middle School?

Students at Heron Creek Middle School are 60% White, 21% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 8% African American, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Heron Creek Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 945 students attended Heron Creek Middle School.

Is Heron Creek Middle School a good school?

Heron Creek Middle School ranks 477^th of 1216 Florida middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Heron Creek Middle School attend?

Students who attend Heron Creek Middle School usually go on to attend North Port High School

Rate Heron Creek Middle School!

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Latest Florida data All new data »

2025–26 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataMar 20, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2025

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.