Taylor County Middle School

Taylor County Middle School in Perry, FL, serves 503 students in grades 6-8 as the only middle school in the rural Taylor district, with 67% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. This school presents a striking contrast: it excels in advanced mathematics but faces significant challenges with chronic absenteeism and inconsistent performance in other core subjects.

The school’s standout strength is its Algebra 1 program, where 92% of students scored proficient in 2025-2026, far exceeding the state average of 63%. This consistent outperformance—often by 30 points or more—suggests a highly effective advanced math track. However, this success contrasts with struggles in other areas. For instance, only 44% of 8th graders were proficient in standard 8th-grade math, compared to 61% statewide, indicating that while top math students thrive, the general math population lags behind. Civics performance also trails the state, with 68% proficiency versus 77% statewide. On a positive note, 7th-grade math has shown remarkable improvement, jumping from 37% proficiency in 2022-2023 to 70% in 2025-2026, suggesting recent interventions are working.

The most pressing issue is chronic absenteeism, which affects 58.4% of students—nearly double the state average of 31.4%. This crisis likely undermines academic progress across all subjects, as students missing 10% or more of school days struggle to master grade-level content. The school has improved its student-teacher ratio from 21.5 to 16.2, a positive step that could help address individual needs. For parents, the key takeaway is that Taylor County Middle School offers exceptional opportunities in advanced math but must tackle attendance issues to unlock its full potential in ELA, science, and civics.