Summary:
Zip code 32724 in DeLand, Florida, is home to three elementary schools serving grades PK-5 within the Volusia school district, which holds a 3-star state rating, and these schools present a diverse range of academic performance and student needs.
Freedom Elementary School stands out as the top performer in the area, consistently earning a 3-star rating and ranking in the 58th percentile statewide. It is the only school in the zip code to outperform both district and state averages in most subjects, particularly excelling in Math across all grade levels. In contrast, Blue Lake Elementary School is the lowest-performing school, consistently ranking in the bottom 30th percentile (1 star) and significantly underperforming in nearly every subject. George W. Marks Elementary School sits in the middle, but shows notable volatility in its rankings, dropping from the 57th to the 47th percentile in the latest year.
A key finding is the "spending paradox": Blue Lake spends the most per student ($12,679) but has the lowest test scores, while Freedom spends the least ($9,820) and achieves the highest scores, suggesting higher spending is a response to greater student needs rather than a driver of success. Chronic absenteeism is a critical issue, especially at Blue Lake (37.7%), which is well above the district (34.1%) and state (31.4%) averages, and likely a primary factor in its low performance. Even Freedom's rate (24.6%), while best in the zip code, remains a concern. Overall, the data strongly correlates socioeconomic factors with academic outcomes, as the percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch increases from Freedom (49.87%) to George W. Marks (57.18%) to Blue Lake (65.08%), mirroring the decline in performance.
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