VALPARAISO, Fla. — The Okaloosa Stemm Center in Valparaiso has been ranked the number one middle school in Florida for 2021 by U.S. News and World Report.
The Okaloosa Stemm Center is a magnet school located at 379 Edge Ave in Valparaiso. It has 292 students.
U.S. News said schools are ranked on their performance on state-required tests, graduation, and how well they prepare their students for high school. The news magazine analyzed more than 2,000 middle schools in Florida, it said.
At Okaloosa Stemm Center, 100% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 100% scored at or above that level for reading, U.S. News said on its website.
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Compared with the district, the school did better in math and better in reading, according to this metric.
According to U.S. News, in the Okaloosa County School District, 58% of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 65% tested at or above that level for math. Okaloosa Stemm Center did better in math and better in reading in this metric compared with students across the state.
In Florida, 53% of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 57% tested at or above that level for math.
Liza Jackson Preparatory School in Fort Walton Beach is ranked #23. Ruckel Middle School in Niceville is ranked at #182.
Okaloosa Stemm Center 2021 Rankings by U.S. News & World Report:
- #1 in Florida Middle Schools
- #1 in Okaloosa County School District Middle Schools
- #1 in Florida Magnet Middle Schools
Ranking Factors
- Reading Proficiency Rank – #1
- Math Proficiency Rank – #1 (tie)
- Reading Performance – Well Above Expectations
- Math Performance – Well Above Expectations
