Middle Schools in Okeechobee

The Okeechobee area is home to two middle schools, Osceola Middle School and Yearling Middle School, both serving students in grades 6-8. While the schools share some similarities, they also exhibit notable differences in academic performance, student demographics, and resource allocation.

Yearling Middle School stands out for its exceptional performance on the Algebra 1 End-of-Course (EOC) exam, with an impressive 93% of students scoring proficient or better, far exceeding the Okeechobee district average of 40% and the statewide average of 55%. In contrast, both schools struggle with overall academic proficiency, with scores below state averages in most subject areas. Yearling Middle School also has a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (70.36%) compared to Osceola Middle School (66.67%), suggesting a greater concentration of economically disadvantaged students.

The two schools also differ in their student demographics, with Osceola Middle School having a higher percentage of white students (47.54%) compared to Yearling Middle School (39.67%), which has a larger Hispanic student population (51.95%). Additionally, Yearling Middle School appears to have access to more resources, spending $10,328 per student compared to $9,550 per student at Osceola Middle School, and maintaining a lower student-teacher ratio of 15.9 to 19.9. However, both schools face challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, which may be contributing to their overall academic struggles.