The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in Math. The lowest is 40% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on D. S. Parrott Middle School
D. S. Parrott Middle School serves sixth through eighth graders in Brooksville, the county seat of Hernando County, situated about 45 to 50 miles north of Tampa. It is a regular public school in the Hernando County district, enrolling roughly enough students to fill a mid-sized middle school, distributed fairly evenly across the three grade levels.
A substantial share of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a community where many households face real economic pressure. The school is predominantly white, with meaningful Black and Hispanic populations and a share of students identifying as two or more races. Data on English learner rates and students with individualized education programs were not available in what was provided.
On Florida's FAST assessments, Parrott's math proficiency sits in the mid-range for sixth and seventh graders, then falls somewhat in eighth grade. ELA results follow a similar arc: sixth grade holds near the midpoint, seventh grade is the low point across all subjects tested, and eighth grade is slightly stronger than seventh but still below the sixth-grade ELA result. The eighth-grade Florida Statewide Science Assessment shows proficiency at roughly the same level as seventh-grade ELA. Taken together, the picture is one where fewer than half of students in most tested grades and subjects are reaching the state's proficiency standard. These are the most current figures available and they cover only a single year, as trend comparisons were flagged as not safely computable with the data on hand. A parent who wants to understand whether individual students are progressing or whether particular student groups face wider gaps would want to ask the school directly.
The comparison fact-set that would have placed Parrott among districts in Hernando County could not produce a meaningful proficiency comparison because there is only one district in the county, so no relative positioning is possible. Chronic absenteeism and graduation rate comparisons are not applicable here: this is a middle school, so there is no graduation rate, and absenteeism data were not available in what was provided.
Hernando County Schools recently went before voters to renew both a one-mill property tax and a half-cent sales tax, each tied directly to what the district can offer families. Publicly reported accounts describe the millage as funding teacher recruitment and salaries, school safety, and mental health resources. The sales tax renewal, publicly reported as adding a new provision to allow construction and expansion of school buildings, matters specifically in the Brooksville context because county and city officials have described growth as "unprecedented," with major residential projects in the pipeline and school capacity already emerging as a planning concern. Parents buying into the area now are entering a housing market where prices are modestly below the state average and have been roughly flat year over year. Renting is comparably affordable by recent national standards, with estimated rent-to-income ratios in a range that leaves most households with room in their budgets.
Brooksville itself reads as a place with a distinct identity: rolling hills, brick streets, historic downtown architecture, and a density of independent businesses and civic events that give the core a walkable, small-town texture uncommon in this part of Florida. The Good Neighbor Trail connects to the longer Withlacoochee State Trail for families who bike or walk. Employers are anchored in healthcare, county government, and education, with manufacturing and aerospace activity around the regional airport. The county transit system, TheBus, serves Brooksville and connects to Pasco County, though outside the historic core the area is car-dependent in the way most of coastal interior Florida is.
Program offerings specific to Parrott were not available in the data provided, so what electives, advanced coursework, or student support programs exist at the school level is a question worth taking to the school or the district directly.
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