The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Math. The lowest is 35% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on A. L. Mebane Middle School
A. L. Mebane Middle School serves sixth through eighth graders in Alachua, a small North Central Florida city that sits near I-75 with a walkable historic downtown core and a growing bioscience and technology employment district called the Progress District, which publicly reported accounts describe as one of Florida's larger biotech clusters. The surrounding area has a small-town, Southern character, with preserved land including San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park nearby. Homes in the zip code are priced close to the Florida statewide median, with a modest year-over-year dip in values, and rents represent a fairly typical share of income. The city has been growing since the 2020 census, and a major mixed-use development adjacent to Progress Park broke ground in early 2022, adding residential and commercial density that is still taking shape.
The school is a conventional public middle school, not a charter and not designated as a magnet, serving grades six through eight. Enrollment is small relative to what one might expect for a school covering three middle grades. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a meaningful economic diversity in the student body. Racially, the school is majority white with sizable Black and Hispanic populations and a multiracial group as well. IEP and English learner data were not available in the data we reviewed, so families with students in those categories may want to ask the school directly about supports.
On Florida's FAST assessments for the 2024-25 school year, the academic picture is mixed and warrants a close look. In ELA, proficiency rates are similar across all three grade levels and sit in a range that leaves more than half of students below proficiency at each grade. Sixth-grade math proficiency is the clearest bright spot, coming in well above the school's other tested results. Seventh-grade math drops meaningfully from there, and eighth-grade math proficiency is low enough to stand out as an area of real concern. Eighth-grade science proficiency, measured on the Florida Statewide Science Assessment, is also well below the majority of students tested. When the school's overall proficiency index is placed relative to the two districts in Alachua County, Mebane sits in the bottom quartile of that comparison set. A parent of an incoming sixth grader may want to ask the school about math progression and what supports exist for students entering seventh and eighth grade, given how sharply proficiency declines across the three years. No trend data was available in what we reviewed, so it is not possible to say whether results have been improving or declining.
One district-level development worth knowing: voters in Alachua County renewed the existing One Mill property tax in November 2024, extending it through mid-2029. Publicly reported accounts indicate this tax funds art, music, drama, band and chorus teachers, school nurses, librarians, counselors, and career-technical programs, paying all or part of the salaries of nearly a third of district teachers. Because it was a renewal rather than a new levy, it did not add to homeowners' tax bills, but its passage is what keeps these staff positions and programs in place. That matters directly to a middle schooler's daily experience at Mebane.
The year-round school pilot that the district undertook at two elementary schools is not something Mebane is part of, so that change does not directly affect families here, though it reflects the district's willingness to experiment with calendar and scheduling in response to state policy.
Program-specific data for Mebane, such as elective offerings, athletics, extracurriculars, or any advanced coursework, was not available in what we reviewed. A graduation rate does not apply to a middle school. For families weighing Mebane, the clearest thing the data shows is that the sixth-grade year looks academically stronger than what follows, and understanding what drives the eighth-grade math result would be a reasonable first question to bring to the school.
See more original research from School Decision →