Summary:
In zip code 32216, there is one middle school, Southside Middle School, serving grades 6 through 8 with 805 students in Jacksonville, part of the Duval County school district, which ranks in the bottom quarter of Florida districts.
Southside Middle School presents a stark contrast in performance, functioning almost like two separate schools. On one hand, students in advanced courses achieve exceptional results, with 99% proficiency in Algebra 1 and 84% in Biology 1, far exceeding district and state averages. On the other hand, the general student population struggles significantly, with only 14% of 8th graders proficient in science and low scores in standard FAST ELA and math exams. The school's state ranking has remained in the bottom 10% for three consecutive years. A critical red flag is the chronic absenteeism rate of 64.3%, more than double the state average, which likely drives the poor academic outcomes for most students. The school spends $9,266 per student, but this investment has not translated into broad success, suggesting funds may be consumed by challenges related to high absenteeism and student support needs.
Despite these challenges, there are some positive signs. Year-over-year data shows slight improvement in most grade-level subjects from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, such as 6th grade ELA rising from 23% to 31% proficiency. However, 8th grade science proficiency remained stagnant, and civics is a consistent weakness, with only 44% of students proficient compared to 77% statewide. For parents, the key takeaway is that Southside Middle School offers a high-quality advanced track for select students, but the majority of the student body faces significant academic hurdles, heavily influenced by a severe absenteeism problem that needs to be addressed at a systemic level.
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