Summary:
The five schools in zip code 32751 (Maitland/Eatonville, FL) serve elementary, middle, and alternative grades within the Orange district, a mid-ranked district rated 3 stars, and reveal stark contrasts in performance and resources within a small geographic area.
Dommerich Elementary stands out as the top performer, earning a 5-star rating and ranking in the 99th percentile statewide for three consecutive years. It boasts exceptional test scores (often above 80% proficiency), a very low chronic absenteeism rate of 6.2%, and a low free/reduced lunch population of 10.31%. In stark contrast, Hungerford Elementary is a struggling 2-star school with the highest free/reduced lunch rate (76.16%) and the highest per-student spending ($16,590), yet its test scores are the lowest in the area, with most subjects below 50% proficiency. Lake Sybelia Elementary sits in the middle with a 49.66% free/reduced lunch rate but has a very high chronic absenteeism rate of 36.6%, which likely contributes to its lower performance. Maitland Middle performs well above district and state averages, particularly in advanced math (100% proficiency in Algebra 1), but shows a notable weakness in 7th-grade math (30% proficiency). The alternative school, La Amistad, serves only 33 students with very low chronic absenteeism (4.8%) but low academic scores, indicating it serves a specific high-need population.
A key takeaway is the "spending paradox": Hungerford Elementary spends nearly 50% more per student than Dommerich Elementary but achieves far lower results, suggesting funds address poverty-related challenges rather than directly boosting academics. Chronic absenteeism emerges as a strong leading indicator of performance, with low-absenteeism schools like Dommerich thriving and high-absenteeism schools like Lake Sybelia struggling. This data highlights how micro-neighborhoods within the same zip code can have vastly different educational realities, making school choice critical for parents.
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