Summary:
The three public schools in zip code 33952 (Port Charlotte, FL) serve students from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade, with no high school options available within the immediate area, and are all part of the Charlotte school district, which holds a 3-star rating and ranks 29th out of 70 districts in Florida.
The standout school in the area is Port Charlotte Middle School, which earns a 3-star rating and consistently outperforms district and state averages, including 88% proficiency in Algebra 1 compared to the district's 56%. In contrast, Peace River Elementary School is the lowest-performing school with a 0-star rating, placing it in the bottom 5% of Florida elementary schools, and its test scores are significantly below both district and state averages in every subject. Neil Armstrong Elementary School performs much better than Peace River, with 59% proficiency in 3rd Grade ELA versus Peace River's 30%, despite both schools serving similar populations with high poverty rates around 60-63%.
A key finding is the "spending paradox": Peace River Elementary has the highest per-student spending ($15,643) and smallest class sizes (14.6:1) but the lowest academic results, while Port Charlotte Middle has the lowest spending ($11,327) and largest class sizes (19:1) but the highest performance. Chronic absenteeism rates are near the state average of 31.4% across all schools, ranging from 28.2% at Neil Armstrong to 32.3% at Port Charlotte Middle. Peace River's ranking has also declined sharply from the 15th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 5th percentile in 2025-2026, signaling a need for district intervention.
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