Fort Mccoy School, Fort Mc Coy FL

Original Research by School Decision on Fort Mccoy School

Fort McCoy School sits on the northeastern edge of Marion County, on Highway 315 in a rural unincorporated community bordered by the Ocala National Forest. It is a public pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school serving as the single K-8 campus for the Fort McCoy area. Students who complete eighth grade here move on to North Marion High School, with some attending Lake Weir High School, both located outside the immediate community.

The school draws from a population that is predominantly white, with Hispanic students representing the next largest group and smaller shares of multiracial and Black students. A large share of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting income levels in the surrounding area that run below Marion County and Florida averages. Data on English learners and students with IEPs were not available in the data provided, so families with children who may need those supports should ask the school directly.

On Florida's FAST assessments, the school's proficiency rates across tested grades sit in a range that is generally below what one might expect of a typical Florida elementary or middle school. In ELA, roughly four in ten students across most grades tested as proficient, with fifth grade coming in a bit higher. Math results follow a similar pattern, with third and eighth grade performing somewhat better within the school's own range, and middle grades running lower. Science scores at both the fifth and eighth grade levels were in comparable territory, with eighth grade science coming in at the lower end of what the school reported across all subjects. These are real gaps a parent should take seriously. Asking the school about what academic support structures are in place, particularly for students who are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks, would be a reasonable next step.

Trend data was not available for comparison, so it is not possible to say from this data whether results have been improving, holding steady, or declining.

The surrounding community shapes the school's context meaningfully. Fort McCoy is car-dependent, with very low population density, large lots, and a civic core consisting of the county library branch, Cougar Community Park adjacent to the library, and a handful of local businesses at the County Road intersection. The school itself has long been one of the community's primary institutional anchors. Publicly reported information notes the original school building became the Fort McCoy Public Library after a renovation. There is no public transit serving this area in any practical sense for daily life.

Housing in the Fort McCoy ZIP code runs well below both the Florida and national median home values, making it one of the more affordable entry points in the state's market. Values have dipped slightly over the past year. New construction, including single-family homes on acreage and parcels allowing manufactured housing, is occurring across several small rural subdivisions, and the area is publicly described as growing, though this is parcel-driven rural growth rather than a dense subdivision pattern.

Two tax decisions at the district level matter for anyone weighing a home purchase here. Voters approved a one-mill property tax renewal through mid-2027, which funds teacher retention, arts, music, physical education, library, and vocational programs, and it adds to the property tax bill proportionally. Voters also passed a new half-cent sales tax in late 2024, dedicated to school construction and renovation across the district. The publicly reported rationale was that Marion County has been adding residents at a notable pace, straining school capacity. The district has plans for several new schools and additional wings, though the scale of that investment will play out over the coming years.

Fort McCoy School is the only school in this community for pre-K through eighth grade. For a family drawn to rural living near the Ocala National Forest, it is the local option. The academic results as they stand suggest a school where proficiency is below state norms across subjects, and parents who want more detail on how the school addresses those gaps will want to have that conversation directly with the school.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 51% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 54% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 46% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 632%

School 32% · District 46% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 741%

School 41% · District 44% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 46% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 45% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 47% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 47% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 51% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 747%

School 47% · District 50% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 46% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Science

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 43% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 40% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolMARION, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income43%Higher-income53%10 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income34%Higher-income50%16 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income46%Higher-income54%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income38%Higher-income45%7 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income44%Higher-income56%12 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income32%Higher-income56%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income46%Higher-income58%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income35%Higher-income46%11 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income61%32 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income30%Higher-income35%5 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income42%Higher-income40%2 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income47%Higher-income51%5 pp gap