Summary:
Zip code 32466 (Youngstown, FL) is home to a single school, Waller Elementary School, a public Pre-K through 5th grade school with 423 students in the Bay County School District.
Waller Elementary is a school in transition, with a clear downward trend in its state ranking over the last three years, dropping from the 52nd percentile (3 stars) in 2023-2024 to a projected 30th percentile (1 star) for 2025-2026. A major concern is the school's very high chronic absenteeism rate of 46.8%, significantly above the district (35.3%) and state (31.4%) averages, which likely impacts academic progress. Despite these challenges, the school has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.4:1 and a bright spot in 5th Grade Science, where 55% of students were proficient in 2024-2025, matching the state average and exceeding the district's 53%.
A critical finding is a "5th Grade Slump" in math, where proficiency drops dramatically to just 38% in 2024-2025, creating a 17-24 percentage point gap below district and state averages. This contrasts sharply with the school's strong science performance, suggesting a specific weakness in upper-elementary math instruction rather than a general lack of student ability. With 70.21% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, the school serves a high-poverty population, and its resource levels (spending per student of $13,783 and low class sizes) indicate that the core issues are likely tied to student engagement and instructional strategies, particularly in 5th-grade math.
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