Summary:
In zip code 32428, there is one elementary school, Kate M. Smith Elementary School, serving grades K-5 in Chipley, Florida, as part of the Washington County School District.
Kate M. Smith Elementary School has a substantial enrollment of 933 students and a student-teacher ratio of 15:1. The school shows a clear strength in early-grade math, consistently outperforming state averages in 3rd and 4th grade. For the 2025-2026 school year, 73% of 3rd graders and 66% of 4th graders were proficient in math, compared to state averages of 66% and 65%, respectively. However, the school faces a significant challenge with a dramatic drop in performance in 5th grade, where math proficiency falls to just 39% (23 points below the state average) and science proficiency is 45% (15 points below the state average). The school also has a high chronic absenteeism rate of 43.1% for the 2023-2024 school year, notably worse than the state average of 31.4% and slightly above the district average of 41.8%.
Overall, Kate M. Smith Elementary School is a school with notable early academic strengths but critical areas of concern. The school's state ranking has declined from the 50th percentile (3 stars) in 2024-2025 to the 38th percentile (2 stars) in 2025-2026. The most pressing issue is the "5th grade cliff," where proficiency drops sharply in both math and English Language Arts, suggesting a need for targeted support in upper elementary grades. The high chronic absenteeism rate is a systemic problem that likely contributes to these academic struggles. While the school often outperforms its district in early grades, it underperforms in 5th grade, indicating a need for focused intervention at this critical transition point.
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