Summary:
In zip code 34613, there is one middle school, West Hernando Middle School, serving grades 6 through 8 in Brooksville, Florida, as part of the Hernando County School District.
West Hernando Middle School has 666 students and shows a clear strength in mathematics, particularly in advanced courses. In the 2025-2026 school year, 85% of 8th graders were proficient in math, far exceeding the state average of 61%, and 78% of students taking Algebra 1 were proficient, compared to 63% statewide. However, the school struggles with English Language Arts, where proficiency in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades consistently falls below state averages. The most critical concern is chronic absenteeism: 48.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year, significantly higher than the state average of 31.4%. The school spends $12,853 per student, and 55.56% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Despite these challenges, the school is showing improvement. Its state ranking has risen from the 44th percentile (2 stars) in 2023-2024 to the 52nd percentile (3 stars) in 2025-2026, and proficiency increased year-over-year in nearly every subject. The high 8th-grade math score is partly because many top math students take the Algebra 1 exam, leaving a smaller group for the standard test, yet the remaining students still perform very well. Addressing the high absenteeism rate appears to be the key to unlocking further academic gains, especially in literacy and civics, where the school trails state averages.
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