Marion School District
School District · Ocala, Florida
Avg Rating
5.2
out of 10
Schools
61
34 elem, 10 mid, 15 high
Per-Pupil Spending
$11,180
Student-Teacher Ratio
18.9:1
Avg Rating
5.2
out of 10
Schools
61
34 elem, 10 mid, 15 high
Per-Pupil Spending
$11,180
Student-Teacher Ratio
18.9:1
Evaluating Marion?
A district shares budget, policy, and attendance zones across its schools — use this page to judge Marion as a whole, then compare how its individual schools differ.
Shortlist starter
Start with these real page-level signals, then use the full table and map below.
Eighth Street Elementary School
Ocala · Elementary. Compare this profile against district averages, level fit, and attendance-zone reality below.
Marion Charter School
Ocala · Elementary. Compare this profile against district averages, level fit, and attendance-zone reality below.
Madison Street Academy of Visual and Performing Arts
Ocala · Elementary. Compare this profile against district averages, level fit, and attendance-zone reality below.
How this district compares
Florida rank
#68 of 71
districts by avg. composite
Vs. state average
-1.1
below Florida avg
Per-pupil spending
$11,180
$581 vs Florida median
District size
45,547 students
Much larger than Florida median
The short answer
Marion ranks #68 of 71 Florida districts by overall school rating. Marion's schools with real test data average 5.1/10 across 54 schools. Its top-rated schools are Eighth Street Elementary School (9.3/10), Marion Charter School (8.4/10), and Madison Street Academy of Visual and Performing Arts (8.3/10). Schools with estimated (proxy) scores are excluded from this ranking.
Rates 8.4/10 despite 68% of students being economically disadvantaged. That's about 3.6 points higher than its student-poverty level predicts. Roughly as clean a case of strong results without an affluent-ZIP price tag as you'll find among Marion schools.
Top-Rated Schools in Marion
Ranked by MySchoolScout composite rating using only schools with real test data (54 of 61). "Value" = points above what student poverty predicts. Estimated (proxy) scores are excluded.
| # | School | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eighth Street Elementary School | 9.3 / 10 |
| 2 | Marion Charter School | 8.4 / 10 |
| 3 | Madison Street Academy of Visual and Performing Arts | 8.3 / 10 |
| 4 | Ocali Charter Middle School | 7.6 / 10 |
| 5 | Dr N H Jones Elementary School | 7.1 / 10 |
| 6 | Ward-highlands Elementary School | 7.0 / 10 |
| 7 | Dunnellon Middle School | 6.9 / 10 |
| 8 | Saddlewood Elementary School | 6.8 / 10 |
| 9 | Maplewood Elementary School | 6.4 / 10 |
| 10 | Marion Oaks Elementary School | 6.3 / 10 |
See all 61 schools — including those with estimated data — in the full directory below. How we rate schools.
About Marion
Marion County Public Schools serves 45,547 students across 64 schools in Florida, making it one of the larger district systems in the state. Of those schools, 58 carry a MySchoolScout ranking, averaging a score of 6.3 out of 10 — a useful baseline as you weigh individual school options within the district.
Elementary performance is where Marion County stands out most clearly. Eighth Street Elementary School leads the entire district with a 9.2 out of 10, the highest score among all 58 ranked schools. That puts it well above the district average and signals consistently strong academic outcomes. Maplewood Elementary follows at 8.8, and Ward-Highlands Elementary rounds out the top three at 8.6. Sparr Elementary (8.2) and Anthony Elementary (8.1) round out a strong upper tier, giving families across the county real options when it comes to high-performing elementary campuses.
The district average of 6.3 tells an honest story — Marion County has genuine standouts, but school quality varies. That gap between the 6.3 average and the 9.2 at the top makes school selection consequential here. Parents should look closely at individual school scores rather than treating district performance as uniform. With 64 total schools and 58 ranked, there is broad data available to inform those decisions.
For parents entering the district or weighing a move within Marion County, the concentration of top-scoring elementary schools is the clearest signal in the data. Five elementary schools score 8.1 or above, which is a meaningful cluster for families prioritizing early academic foundations. Checking school attendance boundaries early — and cross-referencing individual scores — will give you the clearest picture of what your child's likely school assignment looks like before you commit to a neighborhood or address.
District Map
Schools in Marion, colored by MySchoolScout rank. Click a pin for details.
District Average Test Scores
Average proficiency across all schools in Marion with test data.
Schools in Marion
61 schools Elementary Schools 34
Middle Schools 10
High Schools 15
Other Schools 2
District Details
- State
- Florida
- City
- Ocala
- Total Enrollment
- 45,547
- Teachers (FTE)
- 2,404
- Child Poverty Rate
- 0.2%
- Data Year
- 2023
Frequently Asked Questions
How many schools are in Marion?
Marion has 61 schools in total — 34 elementary, 10 middle, and 15 high schools. You can explore each school's ratings and details on this page.
What is the average rating for Marion?
The average composite rating for Marion is 5.2/10. This score is calculated from the individual ratings of all schools with academic data in the district.
What is the per-pupil spending in Marion?
Marion spends $11,180 per student per year.
What is the student-teacher ratio in Marion?
The average student-teacher ratio in Marion is 18.9:1.
What is the top-rated school in Marion?
Eighth Street Elementary School is the highest-rated school in Marion with a composite score of 9.3/10.
What are the test scores in Marion?
Across schools in Marion with test data, the average math proficiency is 48.4% and the average ELA (reading/writing) proficiency is 46.4%. These figures represent the percentage of students meeting or exceeding grade-level standards.
How does Marion compare to other districts in Florida?
Marion has an average school rating of 5.2/10 across 61 schools. Families can compare this to other districts in Florida by visiting individual district pages. Factors like school size, available programs, and community demographics also play a role in choosing the right fit.
How does MySchoolScout rate schools?
MySchoolScout ratings blend student growth, poverty-adjusted academic performance, and learning environment — plus college readiness for high schools. Weights vary by school level, and equity data is shown for context without being factored into the score. Learn more about our rating system on our methodology page.
District Averages
- Overall Rating
- 5.2/10
- Math Proficiency
- 48.4%
- ELA Proficiency
- 46.4%
Resources
How we rate schools
A clear 1–10 score built from public data — growth, academics, and learning environment. No hidden criteria, no pay-to-play.
See how we rateOther School Districts in FL
Compare Marion with neighboring districts in the state.
- Miami-dade (536)
- Broward (325)
- Hillsborough (305)
- Orange (275)
- Palm Beach (235)
- Duval (208)
- Polk (167)
- Pinellas (153)
- Lee (120)
- Brevard (109)
- Pasco (106)
- Volusia (89)
- Osceola (86)
- Manatee (82)
- Seminole (76)
- Collier (74)
- Escambia (70)
- Alachua (68)
- Sarasota (63)
- Lake (61)
- Leon (56)
- St. Johns (55)
- Clay (54)
- St. Lucie (53)
Data from NCES Common Core of Data, Florida Dept. of Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.
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