Summary:
Zip code 32038, located in Fort White, Florida, is home to a single high school, Fort White High School, which serves grades 6 through 12 with a total enrollment of 1,101 students. The school is part of the Columbia County school district, which holds a 2-star rating and ranks in the 49th percentile among Florida districts. While the school has a strong graduation rate of 93.0%, it faces a significant challenge with a chronic absenteeism rate of 46.8%, which is far above the state average of 31.4%.
Fort White High School stands out as a science powerhouse, consistently outperforming both district and state averages in subjects like 8th Grade Science (74% proficient vs. 52% state) and Biology 1 EOC (77% vs. 74% state). However, math performance is a mixed bag: while 7th Grade Math proficiency is excellent at 61% (above the state average of 53%), 8th Grade Math proficiency is critically low at just 24%. The school also showed a remarkable year-over-year improvement in Geometry, jumping from 37% to 60% proficiency, now surpassing both district and state averages. The school spends $11,082 per student and has a student-teacher ratio of 16.9:1, with 46.32% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch.
Key takeaways for parents include the school's strong science curriculum and high graduation rate, but also notable weaknesses in middle school math, particularly 8th Grade Math and Algebra 1. The high chronic absenteeism rate is a major concern that likely contributes to inconsistent test scores, as students missing substantial instructional time struggle with cumulative subjects. The school's state ranking has been stable around the 48th-53rd percentile over three years, though it dropped from a 3-star to a 2-star rating in the 2025-2026 school year. Overall, Fort White High School offers strong science education and a path to graduation, but parents should be aware of the math challenges and absenteeism issues that may affect student performance.
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