Summary:
Zip code 34711, covering Clermont and Minneola, Florida, is home to 11 public schools within the Lake district, serving students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade with a mix of high-performing charters and traditional schools facing distinct challenges.
The standout performer in this area is Pinecrest Lakes Academy, a PK-8 school ranking in the 99th percentile statewide with top test scores and a very low chronic absenteeism rate of 6.6%, all while spending less per student than most peers. Similarly, Cypress Ridge Elementary School excels with an 88th percentile rank and the lowest free/reduced lunch rate (16.23%) in the zip code. At the high school level, Pinecrest Lakes Middle/High Academy achieves a 98.6% graduation rate and strong test scores, though its student-teacher ratio of 52.4 is unusually high. In contrast, East Ridge High School struggles with a staggering 51.7% chronic absenteeism rate, far above district and state averages, which correlates with below-average proficiency in Algebra 1 (23%) and English Language Arts (58%). Lincoln Park Education Center is the lowest-ranked school (24th percentile) with the highest per-student spending ($28,656) yet the lowest test scores, highlighting that funding alone does not drive success.
A key takeaway is that chronic absenteeism is the strongest predictor of performance here, with top schools like Pinecrest Lakes Academy and Cypress Ridge Elementary keeping rates under 10%, while East Ridge High School faces a crisis. Middle school math is a consistent weakness across East Ridge Middle School, Windy Hill Middle School, and Aurelia M. Cole Academy, with 7th-grade proficiency rates (31-37%) well below state averages. Overall, families in this zip code have excellent options at the elementary level, but high school choices require careful consideration of attendance culture and academic support.
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