Summary:
In zip code 33841, there is a single high school, Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School, which serves grades 6 through 12 and is located in a high-poverty area where over 76% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School presents a complex picture for parents. On the positive side, the school boasts an exceptional graduation rate of 99.0% for the 2024-2025 school year, far exceeding both the Polk district average of 87.7% and the state average of 92.2%. The school is also a standout in Civics, with 90% of students scoring proficient, outperforming the state average of 77%. However, a major red flag is the alarmingly high chronic absenteeism rate of 42.1%, which is well above the state average of 31.4%. This creates a paradox where most students eventually graduate, but a large portion are regularly missing class. Academically, the school shows inconsistent performance: it excels in high school-level subjects like Algebra 1 (64% proficient) but struggles significantly in middle school grades, particularly in 8th Grade Science (26% vs. 52% statewide) and 6th and 7th Grade Math (41% and 46% vs. 60% and 53% statewide).
The school's state ranking has been volatile, dropping from the 68th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 49th percentile in 2024-2025 before partially recovering to the 54th percentile in 2025-2026. This instability, combined with the stark contrast between strong high school outcomes and weak middle school performance, suggests that students may struggle more in the early years but improve by the time they reach high school assessments. For parents, this school offers a high likelihood of graduation but requires close attention to attendance and middle school academic support, especially in science and math.
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