The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in Science. The lowest is 50% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Markham Woods Middle School
Markham Woods Middle School sits on Markham Woods Road in Lake Mary, a city in Seminole County in central Florida. It serves sixth through eighth graders as a standard public middle school within Seminole County Public Schools. The school draws a genuinely mixed student body: white students make up roughly two-fifths of enrollment, with Hispanic and Black students each accounting for roughly a quarter, and smaller shares of Asian and multiracial students. Nearly half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school closer to the middle of the economic spectrum than some of the wealthier suburbs nearby might suggest.
On Florida's FAST assessments, the picture varies considerably by grade and subject. In sixth grade, proficiency rates in both math and ELA land in the solid majority range. Seventh-grade math climbs higher, while seventh-grade ELA dips somewhat. The sharpest pattern is in eighth-grade math, where proficiency falls well below the school's own sixth- and seventh-grade results and below what most parents would expect from a school in this kind of community. Eighth-grade ELA comes in around half of students scoring proficient. Eighth-grade science, assessed separately through the Florida Statewide Science Assessment, returns to a stronger result, roughly in line with the sixth-grade numbers. Parents of students heading into or currently in eighth grade, particularly in math, may want to ask the school directly about course pathways, acceleration options, and what supports exist for students who are not yet on grade level. Trend data across multiple years was not available in the data provided, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or a steady state.
Comparison data against other districts in Seminole County was not usable for this school because Seminole County contains only one district, so no meaningful peer comparison could be constructed from the available set. No graduation rate applies here, as the school does not serve high school grades.
Program details were not available in the data, so specifics on electives, honors tracks, or extracurricular offerings are something a visiting parent would need to confirm with the school directly. Data on chronic absenteeism, IEP rates, and English learner enrollment were not reported in the records provided.
A few district-level changes are worth knowing. Seminole County Public Schools publicly reported implementing a full-day cell phone ban for middle school students starting in the 2025-26 school year, which applies at Markham Woods. The district also publicly reported that AI-assisted schoolwork is treated as plagiarism under a policy that took effect in 2024-25, so students and families should expect that framework to govern academic integrity expectations. Voters renewed a countywide infrastructure sales surtax in late 2024, publicly reported to fund school improvements, security, classroom technology, and maintenance, providing a sustained facility funding stream. The district's property tax millage rate has edged down modestly in recent years, though rising home values mean most homeowners are still paying more in total school taxes than before.
The housing market in the zip code around the school sits noticeably above both the Florida median and the national median for home values. Rents have been essentially flat year over year, while home values have slipped slightly. Monthly carrying costs are substantial at current mortgage rates, and the rent-to-income ratio is close to the threshold many financial planners flag as a strain. Families relocating to this area are entering one of the more expensive residential markets in Florida.
Lake Mary itself presents as a suburban community within the broader Orlando metropolitan area. Detailed local character information, major employers, and walkability specifics were not gathered in the research for this profile, so those dimensions are gaps a prospective family would need to fill through their own exploration of the area.
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