Summary:
Zip code 32148 in Interlachen, Florida, is served by two public schools within the Putnam County School District, a district facing significant challenges, ranking in the 11th percentile statewide. The schools are Interlachen Junior-Senior High School (grades 7-12, 999 students) and Robert H. Jenkins Junior Elementary School (grades PK-6, 844 students), both serving a high-poverty population where over 57% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
While both schools are rated in the bottom quartile of Florida schools, Robert H. Jenkins Junior Elementary School stands out for its strong mathematics performance, with 6th-grade math proficiency (65%) exceeding the state average (60%) in the 2025-2026 school year. This strength, however, does not carry over to Interlachen Junior-Senior High School, where 7th-grade math proficiency drops to just 3% compared to the state's 53%. The high school presents a paradox: it boasts a very high graduation rate of 98.6% but suffers from an alarmingly high chronic absenteeism rate of 67.1%, more than double the state average. This suggests the school may be prioritizing flexible graduation pathways over consistent daily attendance, which likely contributes to low test scores despite the high graduation rate.
Key metrics reveal a mixed picture. The high school spends $13,079 per student and the elementary $11,292, both above national averages, with student-teacher ratios of 20.3:1 and 18.7:1 respectively. A notable finding is the "Civics gap," with the high school's Civics proficiency (44%) falling 33 points below the state average (77%). Despite district-wide struggles, both schools outperform their own district in several subjects, including high school Geometry and elementary 5th-grade Science and 6th-grade Math, indicating pockets of effective teaching and leadership that are making a difference for students in this area.
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