Summary:
Zip code 34442 in Hernando, Florida, is served by two public elementary schools, Hernando Elementary School and Forest Ridge Elementary School, both part of the Citrus County School District, and together they educate 1,395 students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in a community where over half of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
When comparing the two schools, Hernando Elementary School stands out as the stronger academic performer, particularly in mathematics, where it outperforms Forest Ridge Elementary School by an average of 8.4 percentage points across all tested grades. Hernando also holds a higher state ranking (45th percentile vs. 41st percentile) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (15.8:1 compared to 17.9:1), despite serving a student body with a higher poverty rate. Interestingly, Forest Ridge spends more per student ($10,820 vs. $10,187) but achieves lower overall academic results, suggesting Hernando may use its resources more effectively. Both schools struggle with chronic absenteeism, with Hernando at 35.3% and Forest Ridge at 30.3%, both near or above the state average of 31.4%.
A key takeaway is that math proficiency is a critical weakness for both schools, especially in 5th grade, where only 48% of Hernando students and 42% of Forest Ridge students met state standards in 2025-2026, compared to the state average of 62%. Additionally, both schools report a puzzling 100% proficiency rate in 6th-grade math, which likely reflects a small group of advanced 5th graders taking a higher-level exam rather than a full class. For parents, Hernando Elementary School offers stronger math instruction and smaller class sizes, while Forest Ridge Elementary School has slightly better English Language Arts scores and lower chronic absenteeism, but both schools face significant challenges in bringing student performance up to state averages.
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