Summary:
The five public schools in New Smyrna Beach's zip code 32168, all part of the Volusia district, serve 3,722 students across elementary, middle, and high school levels, offering a diverse range of academic experiences in a coastal Florida community.
Chisholm Elementary School stands out as the clear academic leader, earning a 4-star rating and consistently outperforming district and state averages in nearly every subject, particularly in Math and English Language Arts. It achieves this success with a relatively high free/reduced lunch population (50.31%) and the lowest student-teacher ratio (14:1) in the area, suggesting smaller class sizes are a key factor. In contrast, Samsula Academy presents a paradox: despite having the highest per-student spending ($12,145) and the lowest poverty rate (6.62%), its academic performance is volatile, dropping from a 4-star to a 2-star rating before recovering to a 3-star. New Smyrna Beach High School boasts an exceptional 98.6% graduation rate and excels in Biology (83%) and US History (80%), but struggles with foundational math, scoring well below averages in Algebra 1 (38%) and Geometry (42%). New Smyrna Beach Middle School shows a critical "7th-grade math slump," with proficiency dropping from 58% in 6th grade to just 34% in 7th grade, a steep decline not seen district-wide.
Chronic absenteeism is a systemic challenge, with all schools except Chisholm Elementary exceeding the district average of 34.1%, and the high school reaching 39.4%. Read-Pattillo Elementary School has the highest poverty rate (55.83%) but does not show standout academic results. Overall, families in 32168 will find a high-performing elementary option in Chisholm, a strong high school for graduation and humanities, but should be aware of middle school math gaps and widespread attendance issues that may impact learning.
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