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Dan McCarty Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

913^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,216 Florida Middle Schools

Better than 25% of Florida middle schools

Summary

Dan McCarty Middle School in Fort Pierce, FL, serves 657 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the St. Lucie district, which ranks in the bottom half of Florida districts.

The most significant challenge facing Dan McCarty is an extremely high chronic absenteeism rate of 55.6%, which is dramatically higher than nearby schools like Forest Grove Middle School (21.4%) and far above the state average of 31.4%. This attendance crisis is the primary driver of the school's low academic performance, as over half of students are regularly missing class. Despite spending more per student ($14,127) than any comparable school in the area—including Southport Middle School ($11,243) and the high-performing Hidden Oaks Middle School ($11,832)—these funds have not yet translated into strong academic outcomes. Proficiency rates in core subjects like 6th-grade ELA (45% vs. 62% state) and 8th-grade Science (42% vs. 52% state) remain below state averages.

However, there are some positive signs. The school has shown notable improvement in several areas between 2023-2024 and 2025-2026, including a jump in Civics proficiency from 41% to 66% and 8th-grade Science from 30% to 42%. A standout strength is the Algebra 1 program, where students achieved 70% proficiency in 2025-2026, outperforming both the district (54%) and state (63%). This suggests the school effectively accelerates select students into advanced coursework, even as the general math curriculum struggles. The school's state ranking has also improved from the 8th percentile to the 25th percentile over the past few years, indicating that interventions may be starting to take effect in this challenging environment.

657

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,127

Per pupil spending ?

68.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1201 Mississippi Ave
Fort Pierce, FL 34950

(772) 468-5700

District: St. Lucie

Students who attend Dan McCarty Middle School usually attend:

High:

Fort Pierce Central High School

Feeder schools for Dan McCarty Middle School:

Elementary:	Chester A. Moore Elementary School
	Lakewood Park Elementary School
	Lawnwood Elementary School
	St. Lucie Elementary School
	More...
	Weatherbee Elementary School
	White City Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

55.6%

Hispanic:

31.4%

White:

8.8%

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Compare Dan McCarty Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 9th percentile in 2016 → 25th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 16 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (49% vs 62% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (25th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (56% vs 31% Florida)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school49%

District avg60%

Florida avg62%

913^th of 1,216

Florida public middle schools ?

Bottom 25%▲ up 16 pts since 2016

From bottom 9% (2016) to bottom 25% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Middle Schools in the St. Lucie

38^th of 70St. Lucie 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	30.1	913 of 1216	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.8	794 of 1205	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.5	1003 of 1196	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.1	1027 of 1177	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.5	1055 of 1148	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.1	1038 of 1136	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.7	1003 of 1099	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.9	922 of 1035	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	13.6	923 of 1031	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	10.7	911 of 997	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	11.0	897 of 999	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	13.5	829 of 956	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	18.2	747 of 897	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	16.6	749 of 891	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	21.9	680 of 839	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	16.8	653 of 780	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	24.0	587 of 740	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	24.3	579 of 736	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	44.6	394 of 675	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	42.8	374 of 602	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2004	43.7	359 of 593	39.5%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Algebra 170%+7 vs state

Civics66%-11 vs state

English Language Arts48%-14 vs state

Math44%-14 vs state

Science42%-10 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Monday, October 21, 2019

I love it it's my first year and it's so far my best year Close Quote

Schools Near Dan McCarty 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 Biology 1 (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 Biology 1 End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dan McCarty Middle School	Public	6-8	1201 Mississippi Ave	Fort Pierce	34950	St. Lucie County	St. Lucie	No	No	No	Yes	(772) 468-5700	657	42	15.6	68.2%	58 (8.8%)	365 (55.6%)	206 (31.4%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.3%)	30.1	913^th of 1216 public middle schools	24.9%		36.8	794^th of 1205 public middle schools	34.1%	119	45.0	53.0	46.0	43.0	23.0	53.0	42.0	70.0			66.0	$14,127	$1,440	$12,688
Forest Grove Middle School	Public	6-8	3201 S 25th St	Fort Pierce	34981	St. Lucie County	St. Lucie	No	No	No	Yes	(772) 468-5885	855	44	19.4	62.0%	157 (18.4%)	347 (40.6%)	316 (37.0%)	8 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	26 (3.0%)	38.2	807^th of 1216 public middle schools	33.6%		30.1	887^th of 1205 public middle schools	26.4%	80	52.0	54.0	52.0	27.0	15.0	63.0	53.0	86.0	98.0		75.0	$11,072	$1,138	$9,935
Southern Oaks Middle School	Public	6-8	5500 NE Saint James Dr	Port St Lucie	34983	St. Lucie County	St. Lucie	No	No	No	Yes	(772) 785-5640	833	43	19.3	65.7%	197 (23.6%)	299 (35.9%)	284 (34.1%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	45 (5.4%)	38.5	799^th of 1216 public middle schools	34.3%		27.7	914^th of 1205 public middle schools	24.1%	115	56.0	54.0	49.0	42.0	39.0	61.0	46.0	81.0	100.0		69.0	$10,639	$896	$9,744
Southport Middle School	Public	6-8	2420 SE Morningside Blvd	Port St Lucie	34952	St. Lucie County	St. Lucie	No	No	No	Yes	(772) 337-5900	872	45	19.3	63.9%	293 (33.6%)	221 (25.3%)	287 (32.9%)	19 (2.2%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	47 (5.4%)	53.8	560^th of 1216 public middle schools	53.9%		52.6	555^th of 1205 public middle schools	53.9%	5	59.0	63.0	59.0	62.0	40.0	72.0	52.0	85.0	96.0		80.0	$11,243	$884	$10,359
Oslo Middle School	Public	6-8	480 20th Ave SW	Vero Beach	32962	Indian River County	Indian River	No	No	No	Yes	(772) 564-3980	767	38	20.1	72.0%	297 (38.7%)	209 (27.2%)	201 (26.2%)	14 (1.8%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	42 (5.5%)	57	509^th of 1216 public middle schools	58.1%		52.3	564^th of 1205 public middle schools	53.2%	55	54.0	62.0	62.0	58.0	53.0	79.0	70.0	88.0	99.0		78.0	$11,749	$1,281	$10,467
Stuart Middle School	Public	6-8	575 SE Georgia Ave	Stuart	34994	Martin County	Martin	No	No	No	No	(772) 219-1685	777	39	19.9	47.2%	454 (58.4%)	80 (10.3%)	179 (23.0%)	21 (2.7%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	39 (5.0%)	50.4	612^th of 1216 public middle schools	49.7%		56.5	503^rd of 1205 public middle schools	58.3%	109	57.0	63.0	59.0	53.0	76.0	35.0	47.0	86.0	96.0	100.0	87.0	$11,434	$443	$10,991
Gifford Middle School	Public	6-8	4530 28th Ct	Vero Beach	32967	Indian River County	Indian River	No	No	No	Yes	(772) 564-3550	608	32	19.0	64.6%	215 (35.4%)	223 (36.7%)	134 (22.0%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (4.8%)	59.1	483^rd of 1216 public middle schools	60.3%		49	607^th of 1205 public middle schools	49.6%	124	70.0	59.0	56.0	70.0	54.0	47.0	70.0	90.0	98.0	100.0	86.0	$12,949	$1,451	$11,498
Hidden Oaks Middle School	Public	6-8	2801 SW Martin Hwy	Palm City	34990	Martin County	Martin	No	No	No	No	(772) 219-1655	920	49	18.7	23.8%	721 (78.4%)	16 (1.7%)	128 (13.9%)	26 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	27 (2.9%)	77.5	219^th of 1216 public middle schools	82.0%		73.4	287^th of 1205 public middle schools	76.2%	68	79.0	76.0	75.0	72.0	90.0	24.0	63.0	85.0	100.0	96.0	91.0	$11,832	$405	$11,427
Storm Grove Middle School	Public	6-8	6400 57th St	Vero Beach	32967	Indian River County	Indian River	No	No	No	No	(772) 564-6400	904	46	19.6	51.9%	492 (54.4%)	128 (14.2%)	212 (23.5%)	19 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	50 (5.5%)	56	530^th of 1216 public middle schools	56.4%		60.1	459^th of 1205 public middle schools	61.9%	71	63.0	62.0	59.0	65.0	57.0	42.0	64.0	83.0	96.0		81.0	$9,502	$402	$9,101

Frequently Asked Questions about Dan McCarty Middle School

What district is Dan McCarty Middle School in?

St. Lucie

What is the racial makeup of Dan McCarty Middle School?

Students at Dan McCarty Middle School are 56% African American, 31% Hispanic, 9% White, 3% Two or more races.

How many students attend Dan McCarty Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 657 students attended Dan McCarty Middle School.

Is Dan McCarty Middle School a good school?

Dan McCarty Middle School ranks in the bottom 24.9% of Florida middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Dan McCarty Middle School attend?

Students who attend Dan McCarty Middle School usually go on to attend Fort Pierce Central High School

Rate Dan McCarty 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.