Summary:
In zip code 32040, located in Glen St Mary, Florida, there are two schools—Westside Elementary School and Baker County Senior High School—serving a total of 1,934 students within the Baker County School District, which holds a 2-star rating and ranks 41st out of 70 districts in Florida.
Westside Elementary stands out as the stronger performer, exceeding state averages in 3rd and 4th Grade English Language Arts and Math for the 2025-2026 school year, despite having a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students (52.44% receiving free or reduced lunch) compared to the high school (33.84%). In contrast, Baker County Senior High struggles significantly, particularly in Algebra 1 where only 21% of students are proficient versus the state average of 63%, and its graduation rate of 83.5% falls well below the state average of 92.2%. The high school does show relative strength in US History (71% proficient) and Biology 1 (65% proficient), but these are still below state averages. Westside Elementary also has a lower chronic absenteeism rate (27.9%) than both the district and state averages, while the high school’s rate (32.8%) is slightly higher.
A key takeaway is the apparent "leaky pipeline" where strong early academic foundations at Westside Elementary are not sustained through to high school, suggesting a systemic issue with math instruction at the secondary level. Additionally, Westside Elementary spends more per student ($11,207) than the high school ($9,998), yet achieves better relative results, raising questions about resource allocation. For parents, this area offers a strong elementary option but a high school that faces significant challenges, especially in math and overall graduation rates, making it important to consider the long-term academic trajectory for students.
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