Summary:
Zip code 32216 in Jacksonville, Florida, is home to 10 schools within the Duval County School District, serving a mix of elementary, middle, and high school grades, and is characterized by a stark performance divide between high-achieving charter schools and struggling traditional public schools.
The standout performers in this area are the two River City Science Academy charter schools. River City Science Academy (grades 6-12) ranks in the 85th percentile statewide with a perfect 100% graduation rate, while its elementary counterpart, River City Science Elementary Academy, ranks in the 89th percentile. In contrast, traditional schools like Love Grove Elementary School and Duval Charter Scholars Academy languish in the bottom 10% of the state. A bright spot is Hogan-Spring Glen Elementary School, which jumped from the 8th to the 45th percentile in just two years, showing dramatic improvement. However, Southside Middle School faces a crisis with a 64.3% chronic absenteeism rate, the highest in the zip code, and ranks in the bottom 8% of Florida middle schools.
A key takeaway is that higher spending does not guarantee better results. The lowest-performing schools, Love Grove Elementary ($15,120 per student) and Duval Charter Scholars ($11,053 per student), spend the most, while the top-performing River City Science Elementary spends the least ($8,925). This suggests school culture and curriculum matter more than raw funding. For families, the zip code lacks a strong traditional high school option, as the only high-performing high school is the charter River City Science Academy, creating an equity issue for students who cannot attend. Specialized schools like Youth Development Center and Gateway Community Services serve unique populations and are not comparable to mainstream schools.
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