Summary:
In zip code 33312, there is one middle school, New River Middle School, serving grades 6 through 8 in Fort Lauderdale as part of the Broward County school district, which is ranked 23rd out of 70 districts in Florida.
New River Middle School is a large school with 1,566 students and a student-teacher ratio of 23:1. The school presents a striking "two-schools-in-one" dynamic. On one hand, its advanced students achieve exceptional results on End-of-Course (EOC) exams, with 99% proficiency in Biology 1, 95% in Geometry, and 90% in Algebra 1—all dramatically higher than district and state averages. On the other hand, the general student body struggles significantly on grade-level assessments: only 39% of 8th graders are proficient in Science, 40% in Math, and 49% in ELA, all below district and state benchmarks. The school's overall ranking has improved slightly, moving from the 29th percentile (1 star) in 2023-2024 to the 35th percentile (2 stars) in 2025-2026.
A critical concern is the chronic absenteeism rate of 39.7%, which is nearly 10 percentage points higher than the state average and likely a major factor behind the low proficiency scores in core subjects. Additionally, 8th grade performance is consistently the weakest across all subjects, and Civics proficiency (67%) lags behind other EOC subjects. While the school excels at preparing a select group for advanced coursework, the majority of students need significant support to meet grade-level standards, making this a school with both standout strengths and clear challenges.
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