The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Math. The lowest is 36% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Clewiston Middle School
Clewiston Middle School serves sixth through eighth graders in Clewiston, a small agricultural city on the southwestern shore of Lake Okeechobee in Hendry County. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet program, and sits within the Hendry County School District.
The student body is a majority-Hispanic population, with Black and white students making up most of the remainder. A large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this school among those serving communities with substantial economic need. Data on English learner rates and special education rates were not available in the information provided, so parents interested in those populations should ask the school directly.
On Florida's FAST assessments, the academic picture is uneven. Math proficiency varies meaningfully by grade level, with seventh grade performing considerably better than sixth and eighth grades, where results fall well below majority proficiency. ELA proficiency across all three grade levels sits below half of students tested, with eighth grade performing modestly better than sixth and seventh. The eighth-grade Florida Statewide Science Assessment shows roughly a third of students reaching proficiency. These are below-average results by Florida state standards, and a parent who wants to understand what support structures are in place to address them, whether intervention programs, tutoring, or instructional staffing, would be well served to ask the school directly. Trend data across years is not available, so it is not possible to say from this data whether results are improving, declining, or stable.
Because Hendry County has only one district and no neighboring districts to compare against in the same county, the comparison set does not produce a peer ranking for this school. Graduation rate and chronic absenteeism data were not available at the school level.
Program information was not provided in the data, so it is not possible to describe electives, extracurriculars, or enrichment offerings. Families should consult the school directly for that picture.
Clewiston itself is a compact, slow-paced town whose identity and economy are tightly built around sugarcane agriculture. U.S. Sugar Corporation, headquartered here and the largest sugarcane producer in the country by volume, is the dominant employer by a wide margin. The downtown is modest and functional rather than commercially dense, with civic life oriented around the public library, city parks and recreation facilities, and Lake Okeechobee, which draws fishing and boating activity. The publicly reported Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail along the Herbert Hoover Dike is the main outdoor recreation corridor. Residents who have reviewed the city publicly describe an easy, unhurried daily pace alongside a desire for more dining and entertainment options.
Housing here is meaningfully more affordable than both the Florida state median and the national median. Home values have been rising, and the city is in the early stages of a notable expansion, with two new residential developments planned on land rezoned by U.S. Sugar that are expected to grow the housing stock substantially. Local officials have framed this growth partly as a way to address teacher recruitment difficulties tied to prior housing costs. Families building a new home in Hendry County should be aware that the school board approved impact fees on new residential construction in 2024, a lasting cost directed toward growth-driven school infrastructure needs.
At the district level, the most consequential development for families is a new LaBelle High School, currently under construction and targeted to open in time for the Class of 2027. That campus, the first new school built in the county in roughly three decades, will include expanded career and technical education space, a large auditorium, and upgraded athletics facilities. It serves LaBelle, not Clewiston, but it reflects the district's growth posture and capital investment trajectory more broadly.
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