Summary:
The four public schools in zip code 34668 (Port Richey, FL) are all part of the Pasco school district and serve students from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade, with no high school located in the immediate area. The schools include three elementary schools—Gulf Highlands Elementary School, Fox Hollow Elementary School, and Chasco Elementary School—and one middle school, Chasco Middle School. A major concern across all schools is a chronic absenteeism rate averaging 46.1%, which is roughly 50% higher than the state average and strongly linked to below-average academic performance.
Among the elementary schools, Gulf Highlands Elementary School stands out as the most improved, rising from the 2nd percentile to the 18th percentile in state rankings and achieving the highest 5th-grade science proficiency (58%) in the zip code—the only score to meet the district average. Chasco Elementary School is the top performer overall, with the highest math scores for 3rd and 4th grade (50% and 42%) and the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (42.2%), while also showing a clear upward trend in its state ranking. In contrast, Fox Hollow Elementary School remains the lowest-ranked school, consistently in the bottom 5% of Florida elementary schools, with the highest absenteeism (45.7%) and weakest math scores.
Chasco Middle School faces the most severe challenges, with a declining state ranking and the highest chronic absenteeism rate (48.4%) in the area. Its 7th-grade math proficiency is just 15%, and 8th-grade science proficiency dropped to 21% in 2024-2025, indicating a critical failure in preparing students for advanced coursework. The absence of a high school in the zip code creates an educational discontinuity after 8th grade, which can be a barrier to graduation for students already facing economic and academic hurdles. Overall, while Gulf Highlands Elementary School shows a promising turnaround, the entire area requires urgent intervention focused on attendance and foundational skills.
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