The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in Science. The lowest is 46% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Deland Middle School
DeLand Middle School sits on Aquarius Avenue in DeLand, serving sixth through eighth graders in Volusia County's public school system. It is a standard district middle school, not a charter or magnet, drawing from a city that is growing quickly and carrying both the energy and the infrastructure pressure that comes with rapid growth.
The student body is sizable for a middle school. White students make up the largest share, followed by Hispanic students and Black students, with smaller numbers of Asian and multiracial students. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places DeLand Middle in the higher-need range economically. Data on English learner enrollment and students with IEPs was not available in what we reviewed, so parents with those specific questions would want to follow up directly with the school.
On Florida's FAST assessments, results from the most recent year tell a mixed story across grades and subjects. In math, sixth graders and eighth graders each show roughly half scoring at proficiency, while seventh graders come in somewhat lower. In ELA, sixth graders land just above half at proficiency, seventh graders just below, and eighth graders lower still. Eighth-grade science proficiency sits near the same level as sixth-grade ELA. Taken together, fewer than half to roughly half of students are reaching proficiency across most tested areas. That is below what many parents would hope to see, and families with academically advanced students or students who struggled in elementary school may want to ask the school directly about how instruction is differentiated and what support structures are in place. Multi-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say whether results are moving up or down.
No program-specific information was in the data we reviewed, so details about honors tracks, electives, sports, or extracurricular offerings would need to come from the school directly or from the Volusia County Schools district.
The neighborhood context shapes who this school serves. DeLand is the Volusia County seat, anchored by Stetson University, AdventHealth DeLand, and county government. The publicly reported picture of the city is of a walkable, civically active downtown with brick streets, local shops, and a strong calendar of arts and community events on Woodland Boulevard. Outside that core, established residential neighborhoods and newer subdivisions, particularly in the large Victoria Park master-planned community on the city's edges, have drawn significant growth. Population has been rising steadily in recent years, and new housing continues to come online. The 2024 opening of the DeLand SunRail station as the northern terminus of the commuter line adds a transit link toward the Orlando metro, which matters for families who commute.
On housing, local home values sit modestly below the Florida statewide benchmark and are slightly below the national median, having dipped year over year. Rents have moved slightly upward. Estimated monthly ownership costs relative to income put the area in a broadly affordable range compared to national norms, though affordability is always individual. Renters spend a meaningful share of income on housing. The gap between renting and owning costs is relatively narrow here compared to many Florida markets.
The comparison data available covers only one district in Volusia County at the district level, so a meaningful side-by-side with neighboring districts was not possible from what we had.
For a parent deciding whether DeLand Middle is the right fit: this is a large, economically diverse school in a community that is genuinely growing and has real civic character. Academic proficiency rates are below the majority-proficient threshold across most grades and subjects, which is a real consideration. Whether the school's support systems, staff relationships, and extracurricular life offset that for a given child is something the numbers cannot answer on their own.
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