Summary:
In zip code 32025 (Lake City, FL), there are two middle schools serving grades 6 through 8, both part of the Columbia County School District, which is ranked slightly below the state average.
Lake City Middle School (grades 7-8) stands out as the stronger school with a positive trajectory, recently improving from a 2-star to a 3-star state rating. It excels in advanced coursework, with an 85% Algebra 1 proficiency rate that far exceeds both the district and state averages. However, the school faces a dramatic "math cliff": while 7th graders score 12 points above the state average in math, 8th graders score 29 points below it. In contrast, Richardson Sixth Grade Academy (grade 6 only) spends more per student ($10,049 vs. $9,858) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (16.8 vs. 18.6), yet its test scores are consistently lower than Lake City's and below state averages, suggesting resources are not translating into academic gains.
The most critical issue across both schools is a chronic absenteeism crisis, with rates near 39%—significantly higher than the state average of 31.4%. This likely drives the below-average ELA and math proficiency scores. Lake City Middle School shows a bifurcated math program where advanced students thrive while the general 8th-grade cohort struggles, while Richardson lacks recent ranking data to assess its trajectory. Overall, families should note that while Lake City Middle School is improving and offers strong advanced math options, both schools grapple with attendance challenges that impact overall performance.
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