Summary:
In zip code 34234, there is one high school, Booker High School, serving grades 9 through 12 in the Sarasota area, which is part of the high-performing Sarasota school district (ranked in the 87th percentile statewide).
Booker High School serves a student population with significant economic need, as 62.2% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has a strong graduation rate of 93.2%, which is above the state average of 92.2% and only slightly below the district's 94.3%. However, academic proficiency in core subjects like math and English language arts lags behind both district and state averages. For example, only 48% of students are proficient in Algebra 1 (compared to 70% district-wide) and 46% in 9th-grade ELA (compared to 65% district-wide). The school also faces a challenge with chronic absenteeism at 25.1%, which is higher than the district's 20.1% rate.
Despite these challenges, there are positive trends. Booker High School shows stronger performance in Biology 1 (77% proficiency, exceeding the state average) and US History (74% proficiency). Recent year-over-year improvements are encouraging, particularly a 9-point gain in 10th-grade ELA proficiency (from 42% to 51%) and gains in Geometry, Biology, and US History. The school spends $14,460 per student and has a student-teacher ratio of 18.4:1. Overall, Booker High School is a school with a high graduation rate and a high-need population that is working to improve academic proficiency, especially in math and reading, while showing promising gains in specific subjects.
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