The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in English language arts. The lowest is 44% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Dr. David L. Anderson Middle School
Dr. David L. Anderson Middle School sits on a suburban campus in Stuart, the county seat of Martin County, serving students in grades six through eight. Stuart is a coastal city on the St. Lucie River with a compact historic downtown of walkable streets, boutique shops, cafes, and a Riverwalk boardwalk that functions as the community's main social gathering place. The schools themselves, including Anderson, sit on standalone campuses away from that downtown core, which is typical for the area. The community is growing, publicly reported as drawing steady migration from the Northeast, with new residential developments spreading across the Stuart area and some resident concern about traffic and pace of growth. Home values in the local zip code run meaningfully above both the state and national midpoints, and rents place a substantial pressure on household budgets, with rent consuming well over a third of the median income. The housing market showed some cooling in the most recent data, but this remains an expensive place to buy.
The student body at Anderson is sizable for a middle school. Hispanic students make up the largest group, with white students as the second largest, and smaller populations of Black, multiracial, and Asian students. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, meaning the school serves a predominantly economically disadvantaged population by federal criteria. Data on English learner enrollment and students with IEPs was not available in what was provided.
On Florida's FAST assessments for the 2024-25 school year, results are mixed across grades and subjects. In ELA, sixth graders perform at roughly average or slightly above the range one might expect statewide, but seventh grade ELA results are noticeably lower, and eighth grade ELA falls back toward the middle. Math tells a similar story with a downward progression by grade: sixth grade math sits near the middle, seventh grade just under that, and eighth grade math is meaningfully lower, with fewer than four in ten students reaching proficiency. The eighth grade Florida Statewide Science Assessment results are in a similar range. A parent weighing these numbers should ask Anderson directly about the academic supports in place, particularly for the transition into seventh and eighth grade, where results show the most room for growth.
Multi-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible from what was provided to say whether results have been improving, declining, or holding steady. A graduation rate does not apply here because Anderson serves only middle grades.
At the district level, the Martin County School District publicly reported earning back a top-tier state accountability grade in 2025, its first at that level in several years, with all district schools reaching at least a satisfactory state grade. That context is relevant because Anderson feeds into a district that, by the state's own accountability measure, is performing well overall. The district has also twice gone to voters to sustain a recurring operating millage that funds teacher pay, school safety, mental health supports, and academic programs, with both measures passing. A voter-approved capital sales tax funded building renovations and school replacements across the county, though that tax has since expired.
The comparison set for placing Anderson among its neighbors is limited to Martin County, which contains only one district, so a meaningful peer comparison was not possible from the available data. For a fuller read on how Anderson sits relative to similar middle schools, a parent would want to look at Florida's school-level accountability grades directly.
Stuart itself offers a distinctive quality of life for families who value a walkable, coastal-flavored downtown and proximity to water, with employment anchored in healthcare, the school district, county government, and marine industry. The area is growing, which has added housing supply but also brought congestion that residents have noted. A planned Brightline intercity rail station in downtown Stuart is publicly reported as forthcoming, which would change the commuter geography somewhat. For families relocating or already in Martin County, Anderson is the middle school serving this part of Stuart, and the district context around it is genuinely stronger than the school's own tested-grade results might first suggest.
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