The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in Math. The lowest is 40% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Sebring Middle School
Sebring Middle School sits on East Center Avenue in Sebring, Florida, serving grades six through eight as a regular public middle school within the Highlands County school district. It draws from a city that carries two contrasting faces: a compact, walkable downtown built around the historic Circle Park on Lake Jackson, and a broader auto-dependent corridor along US Highway 27. Healthcare and public-sector employment anchor the local economy, with the Highlands County School Board and AdventHealth among the largest county employers. Sebring has been attracting new residential construction at a rate that ranks it among faster-growing small metros nationally, including a named subdivision off Ben Eastman Road and a notable appearance as the subject of HGTV's "Hometown Takeover" in spring 2025. Home values sit meaningfully below the Florida statewide figure, and the rent-to-income ratio indicates housing remains relatively accessible, though affordability is still a stretch against local wages.
The school's enrollment runs into the mid-hundreds, making it a medium-sized middle school for Florida. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, signaling that many families are navigating real economic pressure. The racial and ethnic composition includes a white plurality, a substantial Hispanic population, and smaller Black, multiracial, and other groups. Data on IEP and English-learner populations was not available in the provided records.
On academics, the picture from Florida's FAST assessments is mixed and worth looking at closely. In math, sixth and eighth graders reached proficiency at rates that represent a majority of tested students, while seventh-grade math proficiency was notably lower. In reading and language arts, sixth and seventh graders fell just above half proficient, and eighth-grade ELA proficiency slipped below half. Eighth-grade science proficiency on the Florida Statewide Science Assessment was lower still, with fewer than half of students reaching that bar. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say from this data alone whether these results are improving, holding steady, or declining. A parent may want to ask the school directly about grade-level supports and what interventions are in place for students who are not yet proficient, particularly in eighth-grade ELA and science.
Comparison data was limited here because Highlands County has only one district, making peer ranking against county neighbors inapplicable. Chronic absenteeism and graduation rate data are not relevant to a middle school by design, so their absence reflects the school's grade band rather than any reporting gap.
At the district level, two developments are worth knowing. Voters in Highlands County approved a half-cent sales tax dedicated to student safety and academic programs, overseen by a community advisory committee that meets quarterly, providing a locally controlled funding stream that exists alongside state dollars. At the same time, publicly reported coverage from WGCU News indicates the district is proposing to cut a meaningful number of district-level staff positions as state funding declines, driven in part by Florida's expanding private-school voucher programs. Families weighing this school should understand that the district is managing a tighter resource environment, and how that affects classroom staffing and support services is a reasonable question to put to the school directly.
Program details, course access data, staffing ratios, and attendance or discipline figures were not available in the data provided, so the picture of day-to-day school life remains incomplete from this source alone. The school's own website and direct outreach to staff would fill those gaps.
See more original research from School Decision →