Summary:
The city of Mulberry, Florida is home to 4 schools serving students from elementary through high school, including 2 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school. While Mulberry Middle School stands out as the top performer in the area, the overall academic performance of schools in Mulberry is concerning, with all schools struggling to meet state averages, particularly in core subjects like English and Math.
Mulberry Middle School is the clear standout, with the highest test scores across various subjects and grade levels compared to the other schools and the Polk district and Florida state averages. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, Mulberry Middle School had 73% proficiency in Algebra 1 and 98% proficiency in Geometry, significantly outperforming the district and state. The school also has a lower chronic absenteeism rate of 35.7% compared to the other Mulberry schools.
However, the other schools in Mulberry face significant challenges. All the schools have test scores well below the state averages, particularly in English Language Arts and Math. For instance, Mulberry Senior High School's 10th grade ELA proficiency was only 41% compared to the state average of 53%. Additionally, the schools have high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 30.5% to 46.6% and high poverty levels with free and reduced lunch rates between 56.58% and 67.18%. These systemic issues likely contribute to the schools' low rankings, with all of them in the bottom half of their respective school types in the state.
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