Summary:
Zip code 34769 in Saint Cloud, FL, is home to seven schools within the Osceola school district, serving students from elementary through high school, including a virtual alternative school, and the district itself is ranked in the 19th percentile statewide, indicating significant challenges.
The standout performer in the area is Osceola Virtual Franchise (Secondary), which operates as a completely different educational ecosystem with a 100% graduation rate, near-zero chronic absenteeism (0.9%), and test scores far above district and state averages, though its success is driven by a highly selective and motivated student body. Among traditional schools, St. Cloud Elementary School is the most consistent leader, holding the highest state ranking (66th percentile) and a 3-star rating for three years, while Michigan Avenue Elementary School showed the most improvement, jumping 14 percentile points to the 57th percentile. In contrast, Neptune Elementary School is the lowest-ranked school in the zip code at the 28th percentile with a 1-star rating and the highest chronic absenteeism (33.1%) among traditional schools. St. Cloud High School is a point of concern, with the lowest state ranking (48th percentile), a staggering 38.6% chronic absenteeism rate, the largest class sizes (22.8:1), and the lowest per-student spending ($8,744), while St. Cloud Middle School is a hidden gem for advanced students, with 91% proficiency in Algebra 1 and 100% in Biology 1.
Key takeaways include that spending does not equal success, as Lakeview Elementary School spends the most per student ($13,035) but is outperformed by the lower-spending St. Cloud Elementary ($12,293). Chronic absenteeism is a major issue across traditional schools, particularly at the high school level, and the elementary schools form a clear performance hierarchy from St. Cloud and Lakeview at the top to Neptune at the bottom. The virtual school's extreme performance highlights how student self-selection and family support drive outcomes, making it an outlier that cannot be compared directly to traditional schools.
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