Summary:
Zip code 33407 in West Palm Beach, Florida, is home to two middle schools serving grades 6-8: Bak Middle School Of The Arts and Roosevelt Middle School, both part of the Palm Beach district.
The most important takeaway is the stark contrast between these two schools. Bak Middle School Of The Arts is a standout magnet school, ranking in the top 1% of all Florida middle schools for three consecutive years, with near-perfect proficiency rates across all subjects—including 96% in English Language Arts and 99% in math. In contrast, Roosevelt Middle School ranks in the lower half of the state (34th percentile) and has been trending downward. Despite Roosevelt spending over $3,000 more per student and having a lower student-teacher ratio, its overall proficiency averages around 59%, well below Bak's 96%. This gap is most evident in core subjects: for example, 8th-grade science proficiency is 89% at Bak versus just 40% at Roosevelt.
Key factors driving these differences include socioeconomic conditions and attendance. Only 19.74% of Bak students qualify for free/reduced lunch, compared to 73.39% at Roosevelt. Chronic absenteeism at Roosevelt (23.5%) is four times higher than at Bak (5.8%), directly impacting learning. However, Roosevelt shows a notable strength in advanced math, with 85% proficiency in Algebra 1 and 87% in Geometry—exceeding district and state averages. For parents, this data highlights that Bak offers an elite, high-performing environment, while Roosevelt faces significant challenges but still excels with its top-tier math students. The performance gap is driven by factors like school selectivity and student demographics, not by a lack of funding at Roosevelt.
Thank you for your feedback!