CHALLENGER K-8 SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATH

Set in SPRING HILL, Florida, CHALLENGER K-8 SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATH is a substantial elementary school, operated by HERNANDO. It educates 1,456 students across grades K through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 141% above the state mean of about 604.

Within HERNANDO, which oversees 29 schools and 23,734 students, CHALLENGER K-8 SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATH is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, CHALLENGER K-8 SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATH shows that the largest single group is White, at 65% of enrollment; the rest consists of 23% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 3% Black, 3% Asian. That is noticeably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 76%.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 90 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 16.2:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 17.5:1 average. An estimated 28% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Hernando County runs at roughly 53%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat below the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, CHALLENGER K-8 SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATH ranks in the top 10% of Florida public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 66.9%; CHALLENGER K-8 SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATH posts 83.1%, +16.2 points above that line.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Hernando County put the typical household earns roughly $66,058 per year, about 21% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 9%. CHALLENGER K-8 SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATH is one of 31 public schools in Hernando County (combined enrollment of about 23,734 students).

Nearest neighbor: POWELL MIDDLE SCHOOL, around 1.0 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), CHALLENGER K-8 SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATH ranks 1st on composite proficiency, above the local average of 55.8%.

Geographically, the school is in a suburban area.

Trend over the last 7 years. CHALLENGER K-8 SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATH's enrollment has showed little movement since 2018, when it stood at 1,474 (now 1,456). Hispanic enrollment moved from 16% to 23% across the same window.

In the discussion threads here, members of the CHALLENGER K-8 SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATH community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.