Summary:
Zip code 32803 in Orlando, Florida, is home to six diverse schools—two elementary, one middle, and three high schools—that serve a wide range of student populations, from high-achieving academies to alternative schools focused on at-risk youth, revealing a stark educational divide within the same area.
The standout performer is Orlando Gifted Academy, a middle school ranked 2nd out of 1,216 middle schools in Florida with near-universal 100% proficiency rates, the highest per-student spending at $16,548, and a very low free/reduced lunch rate of 11.99%. At the elementary level, Hillcrest Elementary is a top choice, ranked 43rd out of 2,240 elementary schools (98th percentile) with excellent test scores and the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the zip code at just 7.8%. Audubon Park School, a unique PK-8 "through-school," also performs very well with most scores in the 80-95% range and a low absenteeism rate of 10.9%. In contrast, Workforce Advantage Academy Charter faces severe challenges, ranking in the 1st percentile among high schools with a graduation rate of only 38.8% and a chronic absenteeism rate of 90.8%. Central Florida Leadership Academy Charter and Pace Center for Girls also struggle, with proficiency rates often below 50% and high absenteeism above 90% for Pace Center.
The data shows a clear link between chronic absenteeism and poor outcomes, as the two lowest-performing schools have absenteeism rates above 90%, while top performers are below 13%. While the highest-spending school (Orlando Gifted Academy) achieves the best results, the lowest-spending school (Workforce Advantage Academy) has the worst, but the relationship is not simple—Central Florida Leadership Academy has a low student-teacher ratio of 11.1:1 yet still struggles academically. This suggests that a school's mission and student population are powerful predictors of outcomes, creating a tiered system where a student's experience in Orange district depends heavily on which school they attend.
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