Best High Schools in Zip Code 33409

Zip code 33409 in West Palm Beach, Florida, is home to two high schools—Worthington High School and Florida Futures Academy—that serve grades 7-12 and 9-12 respectively, and both face severe academic and attendance challenges compared to the Palm Beach district and state averages.

Both schools are in crisis, but for different reasons. Worthington High School is the larger school with 485 students and is overwhelmed by a combination of extreme poverty (60.41% free/reduced lunch), a catastrophic 87.7% chronic absenteeism rate, and an impossibly high student-to-teacher ratio of 69.2:1. Its academic proficiency rates are in the single digits for most subjects, and its graduation rate is just 40.5%, placing it in the bottom 4% of all Florida high schools. In contrast, Florida Futures Academy is a much smaller school (129 students) with a low poverty rate (2.33% free/reduced lunch) and a healthier 23.4:1 student-to-teacher ratio, yet its graduation rate is an alarming 10.0%—the lowest in the dataset. This paradox suggests Florida Futures Academy likely serves as an alternative or credit-recovery program for students who have already disengaged from traditional schooling, making its mission fundamentally different from Worthington's.

The most striking commonality is the attendance crisis: both schools have chronic absenteeism rates near 85%, roughly four times the state average of 31.4%. This is the primary driver of their abysmal academic outcomes, with proficiency rates in Algebra 1, Geometry, Biology, and ELA all in the single digits or low teens. For parents, the key takeaway is that neither school offers a traditional, supportive learning environment. Worthington High School is a case of systemic failure where poverty, overcrowding, and disengagement compound, while Florida Futures Academy is a specialized program for students with significant credit deficiencies. Both require careful consideration and likely alternative educational options for families seeking strong academic outcomes.