Summary:
Zip code 32174 in Ormond Beach, Florida, is home to a single high school, Pace Center For Girls, a specialized, gender-specific school serving grades 6 through 12 with a very small enrollment of just 30 students.
Pace Center For Girls is a unique, trauma-informed school and social services program designed specifically for girls, making it fundamentally different from a traditional comprehensive high school. The school serves an exceptionally high-needs population, with 90% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch. The most striking metric is the chronic absenteeism rate of 87.5% for the 2023-2024 school year, which is nearly three times higher than the state average of 31.4% and the Volusia district rate of 34.1%. This indicates that the vast majority of its students are missing significant amounts of school, a critical challenge that likely overshadows all other academic measures. Per-student spending is $9,724, which is moderate and not exceptionally high given the school's specialized mission and the intense needs of its student body.
It is essential to interpret this data with context. Pace Center For Girls is not a failing school in the traditional sense; it is a last-resort option for girls who have likely experienced trauma, academic disengagement, or involvement with the justice system. The 90% poverty rate and 87.5% absenteeism rate are not indicators of poor school management, but rather a reflection of the extreme, pre-existing challenges the students bring with them. The school's success should be measured by its ability to re-engage these students and provide a pathway to graduation and stability, a metric not captured in this data set. The Volusia district itself is ranked 34th out of 70 districts in Florida, placing it in the middle of the pack statewide.
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