Summary:
The eight public schools in zip code 33525 (Dade City, FL), all part of the Pasco school district, serve students from elementary through high school and reveal a stark divide in performance, with Academy At The Farm standing out as a high-performing anomaly while other schools face significant challenges.
Academy At The Farm is the clear standout, earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the 80th percentile statewide. It boasts the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (14.9%) and the lowest poverty rate (14.45% free/reduced lunch) in the area, while also having the highest per-student spending ($13,045) among standard schools. In contrast, East Pasco Education Academy is a struggling outlier with a 0-star rating, a 58.9% chronic absenteeism rate, and 66.25% poverty, though its small enrollment of 80 students and extremely high per-student spending ($63,837) suggest it serves a specialized at-risk population. The other schools cluster in lower performance tiers: Pasco Elementary School (64.32% poverty) and Pasco High School (52.7% chronic absenteeism) show particularly acute challenges, while Centennial Elementary School and Centennial Middle School perform in the mid-to-lower percentiles.
Key takeaways include a strong correlation between poverty and performance, with Academy At The Farm being the only school combining low poverty, low absenteeism, and high funding. Chronic absenteeism is a systemic crisis, with over half of schools exceeding the state average of 31.4%. High school math is a critical weakness, as Pasco High School's Algebra 1 proficiency (14%) and Geometry proficiency (32%) lag far behind district and state averages. Additionally, a "middle school math slump" is evident, with both Pasco Middle School and Centennial Middle School showing sharp drops in math proficiency from 6th to 7th grade, indicating a systemic instructional challenge.
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