Summary:
Zip code 32628 in Cross City, Florida, is home to two elementary schools within the Dixie County School District: James M. Anderson Elementary School (serving grades PK-6) and Kinder Cub School Inc (serving grades PK-2).
James M. Anderson Elementary School stands out as the area's primary academic performer, achieving strong results despite resource constraints. The school significantly outperforms state averages in early grades, with 87% of 3rd graders proficient in math (vs. 63% statewide) and 65% proficient in English Language Arts (vs. 57% statewide). However, proficiency declines in later grades, dropping to 45% in 5th grade science and 37% in 5th grade ELA, suggesting a need for sustained support as curriculum complexity increases. The school has a 71.94% free/reduced lunch rate, a student-teacher ratio of 18.7:1, and spends $10,149 per student—below the state average—yet still achieves above-average early-grade results, indicating high instructional efficiency.
In contrast, Kinder Cub School Inc faces significant challenges as an early learning center. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 52.3% is alarmingly high, far exceeding the state average of 31.4%, and it serves the highest concentration of economically disadvantaged students in the zip code (78.51% free/reduced lunch). With a student-teacher ratio of 24.2:1 and spending of $9,826 per student, the school operates under considerable strain. The data suggests a systemic absenteeism crisis across the area, as James M. Anderson also reports a 38.1% chronic absenteeism rate. This pattern likely contributes to the academic decline seen in upper elementary grades, as students from Kinder Cub feed into James M. Anderson, creating an interconnected challenge that demands community-wide solutions.
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