Summary:
The four public schools in zip code 34691 (Holiday, FL) are all part of the Pasco school district and serve students from elementary through high school, but they face significant academic challenges, most notably a severe chronic absenteeism crisis that far exceeds state averages.
Gulfside Elementary School is the standout performer, having made a dramatic 34-percentile-point leap in state ranking to become the highest-ranked school in the area, now scoring at or above district averages in 4th Grade Math (70%), 4th Grade ELA (62%), and 5th Grade Science (60%). In contrast, Paul R. Smith Middle School is the most challenged, with the lowest state ranking (13th percentile) and critically low math proficiency—only 12% of 7th graders and 26% of 6th graders are proficient, compared to state averages of 53% and 60%. Gulf Trace Elementary School has stagnated at a low 14th percentile ranking despite serving a similar high-poverty population as Gulfside, while Anclote High School presents a paradox: it has the highest chronic absenteeism rate (50.5%) and low test scores (22% proficient in Algebra 1), yet boasts a near-perfect 97.8% graduation rate, suggesting a focus on credit recovery over academic mastery.
A systemic math crisis plagues the entire zip code, with every school falling below state averages in math across all grade levels—though Paul R. Smith Middle is a bright spot with a 75% proficiency rate in Algebra 1, 12 points above the state average. Chronic absenteeism is the most alarming metric, with rates ranging from 30.8% at Paul R. Smith Middle to 50.5% at Anclote High, all well above the state average of 31.4%. Economic disadvantage is high, with free/reduced lunch rates from 52.96% at Anclote High to 75.57% at Gulfside Elementary, and per-student spending varies from $10,050 at Paul R. Smith Middle to $13,414 at Gulfside Elementary, which may help explain Gulfside’s recent turnaround.
Thank you for your feedback!