Summary:
In zip code 32579 (Shalimar, FL), there is one middle school, Clifford Meigs Middle School, serving grades 6 through 8 with 612 students as part of the high-performing Okaloosa School District.
Clifford Meigs Middle School presents a fascinating profile of academic strengths and areas for growth. The school is a standout in advanced math and civics, with 100% of students proficient in Geometry and 94% proficient in Algebra 1 during the 2025-2026 school year—both dramatically exceeding district and state averages. Civics proficiency also soared to 90%, a remarkable 13-point jump from the prior year. However, the school shows a notable weakness in English Language Arts (ELA), where 6th and 7th grade proficiency (64% and 62%) trails the district average of 70%. This creates a clear "tale of two subjects," with exceptional performance in math and science contrasting with lagging ELA scores. The school has also shown significant year-over-year volatility, including a 20-point surge in 8th grade science proficiency (from 49% to 69%), making it difficult to pinpoint a stable performance level.
Despite nearly 58% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch—indicating significant economic challenges—the school achieves above-state-average proficiency in most subjects. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 21.5% is slightly above the district average but well below the state average of 31.4%. The school's state ranking has improved from the 65th percentile (2023-2024) to the 70th percentile (2025-2026), and it maintains a consistent 3-star rating. With a student-teacher ratio of 18.5:1 and spending of $10,350 per student, the school appears to be effectively leveraging resources, particularly in advanced coursework, though reducing chronic absenteeism could be a key lever for further improvement, especially in ELA.
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