Summary:
Zip code 32836 in Orlando, Florida, is served by four public schools within the Orange County school district, including three elementary schools (Bay Meadows Elementary, Sand Lake Elementary, and Castleview Elementary) and one high school (Lake Buena Vista High School), with no middle schools in the area.
Bay Meadows Elementary stands out as the top academic performer, consistently ranking in the top 5% of Florida elementary schools with a 5-star rating and test scores 20-30 points above state averages. In contrast, Castleview Elementary, located just half a mile away and serving a similar demographic, performs solidly but is less exceptional, ranking in the 73rd percentile. Sand Lake Elementary is the lowest-rated school in the zip code with a 2-star rating, but it shows strong recent improvement, particularly in 5th grade science and math. At the high school level, Lake Buena Vista High School boasts an impressive 98.1% graduation rate, far exceeding district and state averages, though its academic proficiency is mixed—strong in US History and Biology but weak in Algebra 1, where only 35% of students are proficient.
A key finding is the dramatic spike in chronic absenteeism at the high school level, with Lake Buena Vista High School reporting a 53.5% rate compared to an average of 24.1% across the three elementary schools. Additionally, spending per student does not correlate with performance: Sand Lake Elementary has the highest spending ($12,060 per student) but the lowest academic outcomes, while Bay Meadows Elementary spends less ($11,734) and achieves top-tier results. This suggests that factors like school culture and instructional quality are more critical than funding alone in driving success in this area.
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