Summary:
This analysis examines three middle schools in the 32084 zip code of St. Augustine, Florida, serving grades 6-8, which are part of the St. Johns district and the specialized Deaf/Blind district, and reveals a stark contrast between a consistent performer, a declining star, and a specialized institution.
R J Murray Middle School stands out as a consistent performer with exceptional proficiency in advanced subjects like Biology 1 (98%) and Geometry (93%), but it also faces a high chronic absenteeism rate of 30.1%, which is notably above the district average. In contrast, Sebastian Middle School shows a concerning downward trend in its state ranking, dropping from the 72nd percentile to the 63rd percentile over three years, and has a critical weakness in 7th-grade math, where only 25% of students are proficient compared to the district average of 62%. Both traditional schools share a challenge with chronic absenteeism, significantly exceeding the district average of 20.1%, and they both show a paradox where advanced course proficiency is high but grade-level math proficiency lags, particularly in Sebastian's math program.
Deaf Middle School (Fsdb) is a specialized state school for deaf and blind students with a unique mission, reflected in its low enrollment of 78, extremely high per-student spending of $47,918, and a very low student-teacher ratio of 5.5:1. It serves a population with high economic need, with 87.18% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and its test scores are dramatically lower, which is expected given its specialized focus rather than a sign of inefficiency. The economic disparity within the zip code is clear, with Sebastian serving a more affluent population (47.68% FRL) compared to R J Murray (55.8% FRL), while the Deaf Middle School faces extreme economic need, compounding the challenges for its students.
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