Summary:
In zip code 32442, there is one middle school, Grand Ridge School, which serves grades 5 through 8 in Grand Ridge, Florida, and is part of the Jackson County school district.
Grand Ridge School presents a mixed picture of academic performance. The school excels in upper grades, with 8th graders scoring 74% proficient in English Language Arts and 63% in Science, both well above state averages. It also performs strongly in Algebra 1, with 70% proficiency. However, the school struggles significantly in lower grades, particularly in 5th and 6th grade Math, where proficiency rates of 36% and 30% are far below the state averages of 62% and 60%. This creates a "tale of two schools" dynamic, where students seem to catch up by 8th grade but face major challenges in foundational subjects earlier on. The school has a student-teacher ratio of 14:1 and spends $11,585 per student, indicating resources are not the primary issue.
The most critical concern is a chronic absenteeism rate of 50.4%, meaning over half of students miss 10% or more of the school year. This rate is nearly double the state average of 31.4% and likely contributes to the poor performance in lower-grade math and science. The school's state ranking has also slipped slightly, from the 53rd percentile (3 stars) to a projected 49th percentile (2 stars) for 2025-2026. While the 8th grade scores show a dramatic one-year improvement, this may be due to a strong cohort rather than a permanent trend. For parents, the key takeaway is that Grand Ridge School has potential in upper grades but needs to address attendance and foundational skill gaps in 5th and 6th grade to ensure consistent success.
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