Summary:
Zip code 34478 in Ocala, Florida, is home to a single middle school, Ocali Charter Middle School, which serves grades 6 through 8 with a small enrollment of 194 students and is part of the Marion County school district, a district ranked 63rd out of 70 in Florida.
Ocali Charter Middle School presents a mixed profile for parents. On one hand, it excels in advanced coursework, with standout proficiency rates in Geometry (86%) and Algebra 1 (77% in the 2024-2025 school year), significantly outperforming both district and state averages. It also shows strength in 8th Grade Science (62%) and Civics (72% in the most recent year). However, the school struggles with core grade-level subjects; for instance, 7th Grade Math proficiency was just 45% and 7th Grade ELA was 48% in the 2025-2026 school year, both below state averages. The school has a 2-star state rating and has seen a slight decline in its percentile rank over the last three years, from the 47th to the 41st percentile.
The most critical concern is a chronic absenteeism rate of 38.5%, which is significantly higher than both the district (35.2%) and state (31.4%) averages, and likely a major factor behind the school's inconsistent academic performance. Test scores also show extreme year-over-year volatility, such as 8th Grade Math swinging from 53% proficiency to 22% between school years, raising questions about instructional consistency or cohort changes. With per-student spending of $9,807 and a student-teacher ratio of 16.1, the school's overall return on investment appears low given its low state ranking and high absenteeism, despite its bright spots in advanced subjects.
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