Summary:
The six schools in zip code 32547 (Fort Walton Beach, FL) are part of the highly-rated Okaloosa school district and serve a diverse range of students from elementary through high school, including a technical college.
The standout school in this area is Liza Jackson Preparatory School, a K-8 school that consistently achieves top-tier academic results, earning a 5-star rating with proficiency rates often 20-30 points above the district average. In stark contrast, Wright Elementary School and Kenwood Elementary School are the most challenged, with low state rankings and proficiency scores 10-20 points below the district average. W. C. Pryor Middle School presents a mixed profile, excelling in advanced math courses like Algebra 1 (90% proficiency) while struggling in standard grade-level subjects. Choctawhatchee Senior High School performs near the district average, while Okaloosa Technical College is a specialized school for a small, at-risk population.
A key finding is the strong link between poverty and performance, with Wright Elementary having the highest poverty rate (80.62%) and Liza Jackson Preparatory School the lowest (21.8%). Chronic absenteeism is also a critical factor, as the lowest-performing schools have the highest rates of chronic absence, while Liza Jackson has an exceptionally low rate of 8.0%. Interestingly, the highest-spending schools per student are the lowest-performing, suggesting that additional funding alone does not guarantee academic success in this community.
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