Summary:
Zip code 32580 in Valparaiso, FL, is home to two public schools within the highly-ranked Okaloosa School District, offering a unique educational landscape with one PK-8 elementary school and one 6-8 middle school.
The standout school is the Okaloosa Stemm Center, a specialized STEM magnet school that has been ranked #1 out of over 1,200 middle schools in Florida for three consecutive years, earning a perfect 5-star rating. It achieves near-100% proficiency rates across all subjects and has an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of just 5.7%, far below the state average of 31.4%. In contrast, the Addie R. Lewis School serves a broader demographic, with nearly half its students economically disadvantaged, and has maintained a solid 3-star or 4-star rating. Interestingly, Addie R. Lewis spends $2,623 more per student ($13,780 vs. $11,157) than the top-ranked STEM center, a spending paradox that reflects the higher costs of serving a larger, more diverse population. Despite its lower overall state rank in the 63rd percentile, Addie R. Lewis excels in advanced end-of-course exams, achieving 94% proficiency in Algebra 1 and 100% in Geometry, matching the STEM center's elite scores for its top students.
Both schools significantly outperform state averages in nearly every metric, benefiting from the district's strong 4-star rating and top-20% ranking in Florida. The key takeaway for families is the clear choice between the high-pressure, high-performance environment of the Okaloosa Stemm Center and the more traditional, comprehensive community school at Addie R. Lewis School, which also serves as a hidden gem for advanced learners. Chronic absenteeism emerges as a critical differentiator, with the STEM center's exceptionally low rate of 5.7% compared to Addie R. Lewis's 17.5%, highlighting how student engagement and attendance are foundational to academic success in this zip code.
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