Summary:
This analysis examines four elementary schools in zip code 33460 (Lake Worth, FL), all part of the Palm Beach School District, serving predominantly low-income student populations with free/reduced lunch rates ranging from 61.64% to 78.18%.
Barton Elementary School is the most challenged school in the area, holding the lowest state ranking (4th percentile, 0 stars) and the highest chronic absenteeism rate (26.8%). Its test scores are consistently 20-30 percentage points below the district average in core subjects like ELA and Math. In contrast, Highland Elementary School shows the strongest positive trend, improving from the 13th percentile to the 31st percentile over three years and earning a 2-star rating. North Grade K-8 is a standout for its exceptional middle school program, achieving 100% proficiency in 8th Grade ELA and Algebra 1 EOCs, though its elementary grades perform similarly to local peers. South Grade Elementary School has a notable strength in 5th-grade science, with a 52% proficiency rate, the highest among the four schools and close to the district average.
Key metrics reveal an inverse relationship between spending and performance: the two lowest-ranked schools (South Grade and Highland) have the highest per-student spending ($16,317 and $16,059), while the top-performing middle school (North Grade) has the lowest ($14,300). The two highest-ranked schools (Highland and South Grade) also have the lowest student-teacher ratios (14.1 and 14.3), suggesting smaller class sizes may contribute to their relative success. Math is a relative strength across all schools, while ELA remains a universal challenge, with 3rd-grade math proficiency (46%-61%) significantly outpacing ELA proficiency (26%-41%).
Thank you for your feedback!