Summary:
In zip code 34431, there is one middle school, Dunnellon Middle School, serving grades 6 through 8 with 712 students in the Dunnellon area of Florida.
Dunnellon Middle School presents a mixed picture of standout strengths and significant challenges. The school's most remarkable achievement is in Algebra 1, where 98% of students taking the End-of-Course exam were proficient, dramatically outperforming the Marion district (50%) and state (63%) averages. However, this success is an outlier. The school struggles with chronic absenteeism at 41.4%, which is higher than both the district (35.2%) and state (31.4%) averages. Academically, the school underperforms in most subjects compared to state averages, with the largest gaps in Civics (56% proficient vs. 77% state) and 6th Grade Math (39% vs. 60% state). The school's state ranking has been declining over the past three years, dropping from the 47th percentile to the 31st percentile.
Key metrics show a school at a crossroads. The student-teacher ratio is 17.3:1, and 58.43% of students are eligible for free/reduced lunch, indicating a high-needs population. Per-student spending is $10,100. The most concerning trend is the sharp 13-percentage-point drop in Civics proficiency from the previous year, suggesting a potential systemic issue. While the Algebra 1 program is a clear success story that warrants investigation, the combination of high absenteeism, declining state rankings, and below-average performance in core subjects like Civics and math suggests that addressing chronic absenteeism and replicating the Algebra 1 program's success in other areas will be critical for the school's future improvement.
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