Glades Academy Inc, Pahokee FL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Glades Academy Inc

Glades Academy is a charter school in Pahokee, a small agricultural city on the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee in the part of Palm Beach County known as The Glades. The school serves kindergarten through eighth grade, making it one of the few options in this community that carries a child through the elementary and middle years in a single building. Enrollment is small relative to what many charter schools serve across Florida, and the student body is predominantly Black and Hispanic, reflecting the makeup of Pahokee itself. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, consistent with a city that is described publicly as one of the poorer communities in a county that also holds some of Florida's wealthiest areas.

On Florida's state assessments, the picture is mixed and worth a careful look. Math results are stronger than reading results across most grade levels. In the upper elementary and middle grades, math proficiency generally sits in the mid-to-upper range for more than half of students in tested grades, with fourth and sixth grade standing out as the higher points. Reading proficiency is lower across the board. Third grade ELA is a notable soft spot, with a small fraction of students testing proficient, and fifth grade science also shows a low proficiency rate. Eighth grade science, by contrast, is a relative strength, with a majority of students testing proficient. The eighth grade math result was suppressed in the state data, likely due to small group size, so a full picture for that grade is not available.

When the school's overall proficiency index is placed relative to districts in Palm Beach County, Glades Academy sits in the bottom quartile of that comparison set. A parent considering this school may want to ask the school directly about its literacy approach in the earlier grades, given the reading results, and how it monitors and supports student progress across the K-8 span.

Chronic absenteeism and graduation rate data were not available for this school. Graduation rate does not apply here since the school does not serve high school grades. Data on students with IEPs and English learners was not reported in the available records, so families with children who receive special education services or English language support should ask the school about those programs directly. No information on course offerings, extracurriculars, or staffing was available to report.

The community itself is compact and defined by its agricultural history. Sugar cane and vegetable farming have shaped the local economy for generations, with large operations including Florida Crystals and the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative still prominent employers alongside the school district and health care sector. The city sits on the lake and has a marina and campground that serve as civic gathering points. Transit is available through Palm Tran's Belle Glade-Pahokee route. The public library branch is part of the county system and offers free computer access.

For housing, the local market is considerably more affordable than both the Florida state median and the national median, and home values in the zip code have edged down modestly over the past year. The city has announced plans for new affordable and workforce rental housing on at least two sites, including the former hospital property. Rental cost data was not available in the records provided.

Families choosing Glades Academy are choosing a small, charter setting that keeps children in one place from kindergarten through eighth grade, in a community with deep roots and a close identity. The academic data, particularly in reading, points to an area where a parent would be well served to have a direct conversation with the school about what supports are in place and how progress is tracked as students move through the grades.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 64% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 461%

School 61% · District 55% · ▲ 6 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 59% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 65% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 758%

School 58% · District 42% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 57% · ▼ 36 pts below district

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

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 56% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 56% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 62% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 739%

School 39% · District 60% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 846%

School 46% · District 56% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 54% · ▼ 37 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 859%

School 59% · District 51% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

This schoolPALM BEACH, 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.