Summary:
In zip code 33948, there is one middle school, Murdock Middle School, serving grades 6 through 8 in Port Charlotte, Florida, with a total enrollment of 656 students. This school is part of the Charlotte County school district, which ranks in the top half of Florida districts. The school itself has consistently received a 2-star rating over the last three years, placing it in the lower half of the state, which indicates it is an underperformer within its own relatively well-regarded district.
A standout feature of Murdock Middle School is its exceptional performance in Algebra 1, where 83% of students were proficient in the 2025-2026 school year—significantly higher than both the district (56%) and state (63%) averages. However, this success contrasts sharply with struggles in standard grade-level math, particularly in 7th grade, where only 35% of students were proficient, a 13-point drop from the previous year and well below state and district averages. The school also faces a major challenge with chronic absenteeism, as 36.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year, a rate notably higher than the district and state averages of around 31%.
Key metrics show that the school spends $11,805 per student, yet this investment does not translate into above-average performance in most subjects, suggesting resource allocation and instructional effectiveness need attention. Performance trends are mixed: while the school saw improvements in 7th grade ELA and Civics, it experienced declines in 6th grade math and 8th grade science. Overall, Murdock Middle School excels at accelerating its top math students but struggles to support the majority of its learners, with chronic absenteeism likely a key factor in its low state ranking.
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