Summary:
Zip code 34654 in New Port Richey, Florida, is home to 10 schools within the Pasco County school district, serving students from elementary through high school, including alternative and charter options, with the district itself holding a mid-range 2-star rating.
The standout schools in this area are the two "Dayspring" charter schools. Dayspring Academy (K-12) is the clear academic powerhouse, achieving exceptional proficiency rates like 98% in Civics and 89% in Algebra 1, far exceeding state averages, while maintaining a low chronic absenteeism rate of 12.4%. Its sister school, Dayspring Angeline (K-5), is the top-performing elementary school, earning a 3-star rating with strong scores in 3rd-grade Math (72%) and 5th-grade Science (63%), and it benefits from the lowest free/reduced lunch rate (24.36%) and student-teacher ratio (11.5) in the zip code. In contrast, traditional public schools like Schrader Elementary, Bayonet Point Middle School, and Moon Lake Elementary are struggling, all earning 1-star or 0-star ratings and facing high chronic absenteeism rates (up to 41.5%) and high free/reduced lunch rates (up to 70.98%).
A key finding is the strong link between socioeconomic challenges and academic performance, as the schools with the highest poverty rates are the lowest-ranked. The middle school level is a particular weak point, with Bayonet Point Middle School ranking in the bottom 16% of Florida middle schools and posting critically low proficiency rates (e.g., 22% in 7th-grade Math). Interestingly, higher spending per student does not guarantee better results, as Moon Lake Elementary spends the most ($13,524 per student) yet performs poorly. Pace Center For Girls serves a unique at-risk population with a very high chronic absenteeism rate (75.9%), making it incomparable to other schools. Overall, the zip code presents a clear divide between the high-achieving Dayspring schools and the underperforming traditional public schools.
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