Summary:
In zip code 32413, there is one elementary school, West Bay Elementary School, serving grades PK through 5 in Panama City Beach, Florida, as part of the Bay school district.
West Bay Elementary School has shown a positive trend in its state ranking, moving from the 42nd percentile (2 stars) in 2023-2024 to the 51st percentile (3 stars) in 2025-2026, with a peak at the 61st percentile in 2024-2025. The school is a standout in mathematics, with 5th-grade math proficiency reaching 82% and 4th-grade math proficiency at 75% in the 2025-2026 school year, both significantly outperforming district and state averages. However, English Language Arts (ELA) is a challenge, with 5th-grade ELA proficiency at 51% in the same year, creating a 31-point gap between math and ELA performance. Science scores are mixed; while 5th-grade science was strong in 2024-2025 (64% proficiency, above district and state), it dropped to 55% in 2025-2026, falling below both averages.
A critical concern is the high chronic absenteeism rate of 39.1% for the 2023-2024 school year, which is nearly 8 points higher than the state average of 31.4% and almost 4 points higher than the district average of 35.3%. This likely impacts academic consistency, as seen in volatile 5th-grade test scores between years—math dropped 36 points from 74% to 38% proficiency. With a student-teacher ratio of 15.7:1 and spending of $11,599 per student, the school invests above average resources, but outcomes remain mixed, suggesting targeted efforts on absenteeism and ELA instruction could improve overall performance.
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