Summary:
In zip code 32435, there is only one high school, Walton Academy Inc., a small charter-like institution serving grades 5 through 12 in Defuniak Springs, Florida, with a total enrollment of 130 students.
Walton Academy Inc. faces severe challenges that set it apart dramatically from its parent district, Walton, which is a top-tier district ranked in the 86th percentile in Florida. The school's graduation rate is alarmingly low at 56.7%, a staggering 40.8 percentage points below the district average of 97.5% and 35.5 points below the state average. Chronic absenteeism is catastrophic at 89.4%, meaning nearly 9 out of 10 students are chronically absent—more than 3.5 times the state average. Academic proficiency rates are dramatically lower across all subjects and grade levels, with some cohorts showing 0% proficiency in Geometry and 7th Grade ELA. The school spends $14,548 per student, which is notably high given these outcomes, suggesting resources are not effectively addressing the core issues of attendance and engagement.
The data paints a picture of a school that may function as an alternative or "last chance" option for at-risk students, given its small enrollment, wide grade span, high poverty rate (80.77% eligible for free/reduced lunch), and high student-teacher ratio of 26:1. There are no academic bright spots in the data, as even the highest proficiency rate (33% in 7th Grade Math) was half the district average. The school is ranked 742nd out of 838 high schools in Florida (11th percentile, 1 star), placing it in the bottom tier, while its district is a 4-star entity. This extreme contrast highlights a localized crisis at Walton Academy Inc. that is not reflective of the broader community's educational performance.
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