Middle Schools in Marion

The middle schools in Marion, Florida serve students in grades 6-8 and include 10 schools, ranging from highly-ranked Osceola Middle School to lower-performing Lake Weir Middle School. While some schools, like Belleview Middle School, perform relatively well, the data reveals significant disparities in academic achievement across the district.

The top-performing middle schools in Marion are Osceola Middle School, ranked 462 out of 1,196 Florida middle schools, and Dunnellon Middle School, ranked 634 out of 1,196. These schools have strong test scores, with over 60% proficiency in Civics EOC exams. In contrast, schools like Lake Weir Middle School and North Marion Middle School struggle, with low test scores and high chronic absenteeism rates, potentially linked to their higher percentages of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The presence of Ocali Charter Middle School in the district highlights the role of school choice, as this smaller school appears to be outperforming some of the traditional public middle schools in the area. Overall, the data on Marion's middle schools provides a complex picture, with both high-performing and underperforming schools, and suggests the need for targeted interventions to address chronic absenteeism and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds across the district.