Summary:
In zip code 32819 (Orlando, FL), there are two middle schools serving grades 6-8: Florida Virtual Middle School and Southwest Middle, representing a stark contrast between a large online public school and a traditional brick-and-mortar campus.
Florida Virtual Middle School stands out as the higher-performing school overall, ranking 440th out of 1,216 schools in Florida (64th percentile) with a 3-star rating. Its district, Fl Virtual, ranks 11th out of 70 districts (84th percentile, 4 stars). This school achieves strong proficiency in core subjects like 6th-grade ELA (79%) and Biology 1 EOC (99%), despite a high student-teacher ratio of 26.9:1 and lower per-pupil spending of $7,081. A key strength is its exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of 10.0%, far below the state average of 31.4%. In contrast, Southwest Middle ranks 592nd (51st percentile, 3 stars) with its district, Orange, ranking 30th out of 70 (57th percentile, 3 stars). Southwest spends significantly more per student ($10,680) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (19.2:1), yet it struggles with a chronic absenteeism rate of 37.3%.
The data reveals a clear trade-off between the two schools. Florida Virtual Middle School excels in overall efficiency and core academic performance, particularly in ELA and science, while Southwest Middle outperforms in advanced math courses, achieving 100% proficiency in Geometry and 87% in Algebra 1. This suggests Southwest is effective at accelerating its top math students, while Florida Virtual provides a more consistent, broad-based education. The 51% higher spending at Southwest does not translate into a higher state ranking, likely due to the costs of maintaining a physical campus and the impact of high absenteeism. For parents, the choice hinges on whether they prioritize a flexible, high-performing virtual model with lower absenteeism or a traditional school with smaller classes and specialized advanced math programs.
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