Education and Training
With Workforce Initiatives as a key element in the Ocala/Marion County EDC’s Strategic Plan, partnering with educational institutions and training facilities is vital. The collaborative efforts in our community have been recognized for national honors by the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) as a model program.
The Enterprise Center, located on the campus of the College of Central Florida houses three agencies connecting resources to benefit the community: Ocala/Marion County Economic Development Corporation, Workforce Connection, and the College of Central Florida - Corporate Training.
A unique collaboration between business and education was cultivated through EDC efforts. The EDC played a role in launching the newest educational institution, Marion Technical Institute. MTI – Where Education Meets Experience - provides hands-on training and internship opportunities for high school students. The goal is to create a higher skilled workforce for our local employers.
For your convenience, the education and training data is available in a downloadable pdf format. Click here to view Education and Training.
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The Florida System of School Improvement and Accountability
The Sunshine State Standards were developed to help raise the educational level of the Florida Public School System in order to meet the ongoing challenges of a global economy. To measure how well students are learning these standards, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) and the Florida Writes! programs were developed. These two state test scoring systems are currently used to assess students and to measure how well schools meet or exceed these standards.
In 1999, The Florida Legislature adopted the A Plan: Grading Florida Public Schools as a method to benchmark academic results and address our students’ educational needs. Florida Writes! and FCAT test results are used as the basis for assigning a school grade to each one of Marion County’s public schools. Additional criteria include suspension, attendance and dropout rates.
K-12 Education
2011 FCAT Scores – Reading and Math (Max Score 500) | ||||
| Reading Mean Scale Scores | Math Mean Scale Scores | |||
| Grade | Marion County | Florida | Marion County | Florida |
| 3 | 309 | 314 | 341 | 337 |
| 4 | 317 | 323 | 331 | 331 |
| 5 | 308 | 310 | 336 | 336 |
| 6 | 310 | 315 | 310 | 319 |
| 7 | 321 | 322 | 306 | 314 |
| 8 | 311 | 313 | 322 | 325 |
| 9 | 316 | 317 | N/A | N/A |
| 10 | 303 | 309 | 329 | 329 |
2011 FCAT Mean Scores – Science (Max Score 500) | ||
| Grade | Marion County | Florida |
| 5 | 318 | 322 |
| 8 | 311 | 315 |
| 11 | 301 | 307 |
Grading Our Schools A+ Plan Grade Performance | |
| 2009-2010 | 2010-2011 |
A - 20 | A - 23 |
B - 16 | B - 14 |
C - 9 | C - 10 |
| D - 2 | |
2011 SAT | 2011 | |||
| Writing | Critical Reading | Math | Composite Scores | |
| Marion County | 475 | 498 | 494 | 19.0 |
| Florida | 471 | 487 | 489 | 19.6 |
| Nation | 489 | 497 | 514 | 21.1 |
2011 SAT by School | 2011 ACT | |||
| Writing | Critical Reading | Math | Composite Scores | |
| Belleview | 467 | 501 | 493 | 19.7 |
| Dunnellon | 468 | 494 | 491 | 18.5 |
| Forest | 475 | 497 | 496 | 20.1 |
| Lake Weir | 434 | 464 | 466 | 17.7 |
| Marion Technical | 368 | 387 | 443 | 18.1 |
| North Marion | 469 | 490 | 487 | 17.6 |
| Vanguard | 522 | 535 | 527 | 21.2 |
| West Port | 467 | 482 | 475 | 18.7 |
Public Schools Statistics - December 2011 | ||||
| Number of Schools | Number of Students | Number of Teachers | Student/Teacher Ratio | |
| Elementary | 29 | 18,679 | 1,421 | (K-2) 18:1 |
| Middle | 8 | 8,061 | 484 | (6-8) 22:1 |
| High | 8 | 11,817 | 699 | 25:1 (Core classes 9-12) |
| 5-8 | 1 | 796 | 57 | |
| 6-12 | 1 | 155 | 27 | |
| PreK-8 | 1 | 1,077 | 78 | |
| Total | 48 | 40,585 | 2,766 | |
| These numbers do not include charter schools, special centers, or alternative schools. | ||||
Post Secondary Education | |
Schools | Enrollment |
| College of Central Florida | 19,318 |
| Rasmussen College | 1,200 |
| The University Center at CF (Includes Barry University, Florida Southern College, FSU, Webster University, Saint Leo University, UCF, UF) | 903 |
| University of Central Florida - Orlando | 56,337 |
| University of Florida - Gainesville (Within 40 Miles) | 49,827 |
| Sante Fe College - Gainesville | 17,630 |
Sources: Florida Department of Education, Marion County Public Schools and Ocala/Marion County EDC
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