Summary:
Zip code 32459, covering the Santa Rosa Beach area, is home to a single middle school, Emerald Coast Middle School, which serves grades 6 through 8 with a total enrollment of 872 students. This school is part of the highly-rated Walton County school district, which ranks in the 86th percentile among Florida districts. As the only middle school in the area, it stands out for its consistent academic excellence, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for three consecutive years and steadily improving its state ranking from the 79th to the 87th percentile.
Key metrics reveal a well-resourced and high-performing school. The student-teacher ratio is 18:1, with per-student spending at $11,937, and only 26.03% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Chronic absenteeism is notably low at 13.4%, less than half the state average of 31.4%, which strongly correlates with the school's academic success. The school excels in nearly every subject, but its mathematics performance is exceptional: in the 2025-2026 school year, 95% of students were proficient in Algebra 1 and 98% in Geometry, far exceeding state averages. The only relative weak point is 7th-grade math, where proficiency (65%) falls just below the district average (66%).
Interesting findings include a clear upward trajectory, with proficiency increasing in 8 out of 10 tested subjects from the 2024-2025 to 2025-2026 school years. The most dramatic improvements were in 8th Grade Science (67% to 73%), 8th Grade ELA (62% to 75%), and Geometry (90% to 98%). The school also shows a "7th grade slump" pattern, where 7th-grade math and English Language Arts (75%) are the lowest proficiency scores, a common national trend. Overall, Emerald Coast Middle School is a standout institution with strong attendance, robust resources, and a reputation as a "math powerhouse," making it an excellent choice for families in the area.
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