Summary:
In zip code 32626, there is one middle school, Nature Coast Middle School, serving grades 6 through 8 in Chiefland, Florida, a small community within the Levy County school district.
Nature Coast Middle School is a very small school with only 84 students and a favorable 14:1 student-teacher ratio, but it shows extreme highs and lows in academic performance. The school excels in Civics, with 77% proficiency matching the state average, and in 7th Grade Math, where 67% proficiency significantly outperforms both the district and state. However, it struggles profoundly in 8th Grade English Language Arts (ELA), with only 25% proficiency—less than half the state average—and in 6th Grade Math at 36% proficiency. This creates a "cliff" effect where 7th graders score 59% in ELA but 8th graders drop to 25%, suggesting possible curriculum or cohort-specific challenges. The school has consistently earned a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past three years, placing it in the 41st to 46th percentile statewide.
With 76% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch and a high chronic absenteeism rate of 34.5%, the school faces significant socioeconomic challenges. Despite these headwinds, it manages pockets of strong instruction in Civics and 7th Grade Math, while underperforming the district in 8th Grade ELA and 6th Grade Math. The school's performance is best understood within the context of the Levy district, which ranks in the 33rd percentile statewide. This makes Nature Coast Middle School a source of both the district's strengths and its most glaring weaknesses, offering strong results in specific subjects but requiring attention in others.
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