BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Lake Butler Elementary School, Lake Butler Middle School, and Union County High School all recorded advances in the state’s Spring assessments.
Students in grades 3 through 10 took the state FAST reading assessment, while children in grades 3 through 8 took the math assessment.
In addition, middle and high school students took end-of-year assessments in Algebra I, Geometry, Science, Biology, U.S. History and Civics.
Reading: everybody up
Superintendent Mike Ripplinger said 60% of the district’s third and fourth graders scored proficient in reading, an improvement from last year’s 58%. Fifty-one percent of fifth through eighth-grade students were proficient, up from 48% last year.
More high school students made the proficiency cut this year, improving from 53% to 55%.
“Overall, the district increased from 51% to 54% students being proficient in grades 3 through 10 from 2024 to 2025,” Ripplinger said.
Math- elementary students way up, middle school down
In math, 75% of third and fourth-grade students scored at levels 3, 4, or 5, designating them as proficient. That is up from 65% the previous year.
“At LBMS, 59% of students in 5th through 8th grade were proficient as opposed to 61% last year,” Ripplinger said. “Overall, the district increased from 60% to 64% students being proficient in grades 3 through 8 from 2024 to 2025.
Algebra- high school slips, but still above state average
The superintendent reported that 8th-grade Algebra 1 scores at the middle school increased from 86% in 2024 to 89% this year. At Union County High School, Algebra 1 students scored a 50% passing rate, which was down from last year’s 56% but still higher than the state’s 34% passing rate for the same grade-level students.
“Likewise,” Ripplinger said, “the passing rate for Geometry this year at UCHS was 52%, while the state’s average for the same grade-level students was 47% passing.
Science – considerable gains
In science, students at the middle and high schools scored gains in 5th, 8th, and 10th grades.
“LBMS 5th grade students saw an increase from 34% proficiency in 2024 to 41% proficiency in 2025,” Ripplinger said. “Eighth grade nearly doubled its performance from last year’s 29% proficiency to 56% this year, beating the state average of 49%.”
The high school gained in biology with end-of-course scores, earning a 78% proficiency rate, eclipsing last year’s 75% proficiency and surpassing the state average of 64%.
Civics and History – middle school holds, high school improves
This year, the students in 7th-grade Civics at LBMS held steady at 75% proficiency, which was the same mark as last year, while still outpacing the state average of 71%. Students who took the U.S. History end-of-course exam at UCHS rose from last year’s 75% success rate to 81% this year, exceeding the state average of 71%.
Team effort
Ripplinger credited a team effort of students, teachers, parents, and administrators with the improvements in the Spring assessment.
“The dedication and countless hours of preparation by teachers and administrators, in addition to the support of parents and the efforts by the students, are the key reasons for the successes enjoyed during the 2024-2025 school year,” he said.
