Summary:
Zip code 32334, serving the rural community of Hosford, Florida, contains a single school: Hosford Elementary Junior High School, a public school in the Liberty district that serves students from Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade with a modest enrollment of 302 students and a student-teacher ratio of 14:1.
Hosford Elementary Junior High School presents a striking contrast in academic performance between its elementary and middle school grades. The school excels in its upper grades, with 8th-grade Science proficiency at 78% and 7th-grade Math at 85%, both far exceeding state averages. However, elementary grades struggle, with 3rd and 5th-grade ELA proficiency at just 48%, below state benchmarks. This "tale of two schools" is compounded by a severe chronic absenteeism rate of 51.0%, which is significantly higher than the district's 38.4% and the state's 31.4%. Despite strong middle school results, the school's overall state ranking has declined from the 58th percentile to the 45th percentile over three years, likely due to these attendance issues and weaker elementary scores.
The most critical takeaway for parents is that while Hosford Elementary Junior High School benefits from being part of a high-performing district (Liberty ranks 18th out of 70 in Florida), its inconsistent performance and high absenteeism create significant challenges. The school's small enrollment of 302 students also leads to year-over-year volatility in test scores, as a single cohort can dramatically shift metrics. For families considering this school, the primary concern should be addressing the chronic absenteeism crisis, which appears to be the root cause of the elementary grade struggles and the declining state ranking, even as the middle school program delivers exceptional results in math and science.
Thank you for your feedback!