The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in Math. The lowest is 30% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Lake Shore Middle School
Lake Shore Middle School sits on Bayview Road in Jacksonville's westside, serving sixth through eighth graders as a standard Duval County public school. The enrollment is roughly in the mid-range for a district middle school, drawing students from a neighborhood where a substantial majority qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. That economic context matters because it shapes both what the school faces and how its test results should be read by families.
On Florida's FAST assessments, proficiency rates across all three grades and both core subjects fall below the majority of students tested. In reading and writing, fewer than a third of sixth and seventh graders scored proficient, with eighth grade somewhat higher. Math results follow a similar pattern, with seventh grade the lowest point and eighth grade the strongest, though still well below a majority. The eighth-grade science assessment also came in below half of students proficient. These are the reported numbers for the most recent year available, and no multi-year trend data was provided, so whether results are moving in any direction is not visible here. Parents with questions about academic momentum, intervention programs, or what supports are in place for students who are below grade level would benefit from asking the school directly.
Demographic data from the student body shows that the school is predominantly Black, with Hispanic students and white students making up the next largest groups, and smaller numbers from other backgrounds. No data on English learner rates or IEP rates was available in what was provided.
The school's program offerings were not included in the data, and Duval County's district-level strategic priorities were not surfaced through research, so those dimensions are left open rather than characterized.
The surrounding westside Jacksonville neighborhood feeds into a broader city that is genuinely in motion. Jacksonville itself is one of the faster-growing metro areas in the country, publicly reported as one of NAR's 2026 Housing Hot Spots on the strength of migration, relatively affordable inventory, and metro population projections well above the national average. The housing market near Lake Shore, however, reflects a different reality than the higher-priced downtown and Southside corridors. Home values in the zip code sit well below the Florida statewide median and modestly below the national median, and they have declined slightly year over year. Rents have edged up slightly over the same period. The rent-to-income ratio remains manageable by current national norms, and the cost of a mortgage is not far above the monthly rent, which may appeal to families weighing a purchase decision in the area.
The westside is primarily a car-dependent residential community. Jacksonville as a whole is a sprawling city where most daily trips require driving, and the Bayview Road corridor is no exception to that pattern. The walkable neighborhoods that get attention in Jacksonville, Riverside, Avondale, San Marco, and parts of downtown, are in other parts of the city. That said, access to Jacksonville's broader employment base is reasonable by car: major employers span health care systems including Baptist Health and Mayo Clinic, Amazon logistics, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, and the county's own public school district.
For a family specifically evaluating Lake Shore Middle: the proficiency picture, across every grade and subject tested, is one where the school would benefit from closer attention. Whether that reflects concentrated poverty in the student population, specific academic program gaps, attendance challenges, or something else is not answerable from the data alone, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school. The westside neighborhood itself offers relatively affordable housing in a city experiencing real population and investment growth, though the school-level academic environment as shown by state assessments presents a soft spot that warrants a direct conversation with school staff before enrolling.
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