Summary:
Zip code 33410, covering Palm Beach Gardens and West Palm Beach, Florida, is home to two public high schools serving grades 9-12 within the Palm Beach County School District.
William T. Dwyer High School is the clear standout in this area, consistently outperforming Palm Beach Gardens High School across nearly every academic metric. Dwyer holds a 4-star rating and ranks in the 72nd percentile statewide, while Palm Beach Gardens is rated 1 star and sits in the 28th percentile. The graduation rate gap is significant, with Dwyer at an exceptional 97.7% compared to Palm Beach Gardens' 93.6%. The most dramatic difference is in math: Dwyer's Geometry proficiency rate of 72% is more than double Palm Beach Gardens' 33%, and Dwyer also leads in Algebra 1 (37% vs. 25%), Biology 1 (75% vs. 62%), and 10th-grade English Language Arts (70% vs. 53%).
Interestingly, the performance gap is not explained by funding or class sizes. Dwyer actually spends slightly more per student ($14,645 vs. $14,040) and has a slightly higher student-teacher ratio (17.8:1 vs. 17.3:1). However, a notable socioeconomic difference exists: 51.97% of Palm Beach Gardens students qualify for free or reduced lunch, compared to 31.85% at Dwyer. Both schools struggle with chronic absenteeism, with rates of 30.8% at Palm Beach Gardens and 28.6% at Dwyer, both near the state average of 31.4%. For parents in this zip code, the choice between these two schools is stark, with Dwyer offering a much stronger academic environment, particularly in mathematics and overall college readiness.
Thank you for your feedback!