Brown Barge Middle, 201 E. Hancock Lane: a magnet school for grades 6-8, 542 students (2024-25), an A in Florida's 2026 school grades. 850-494-5640.

Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Sources: Escambia County Public Schools and its controlled open enrollment page, the school’s website, the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades, the federal NCES school directory and the Census Bureau’s geocoder.

Brown Barge Middle School is “a public magnet school serving grades 6-8,” its website says. It has no attendance zone: students apply before sixth grade and are chosen from eligible applicants across the county. The campus on East Hancock Lane has a Pensacola mailing address but sits just outside the city limits, in the unincorporated Brent area, according to the Census Bureau’s geocoder.

Who to call
Address 201 E. Hancock Lane, Pensacola, FL 32503
Phone 850-494-5640
Grades 6 to 8
Principal Janet Penrose
2026 state grade A (78% of points)
School hours 8:40 a.m. to 3:25 p.m.
Admission Application, sixth grade entry

Principal. Janet Penrose is the principal, according to the school’s administration page. The page says she graduated from Booker T. Washington High School and the University of West Florida.

Enrollment and teachers

  • Federal count: 542 students in the 2024-25 school year, with 30 full-time-equivalent classroom teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 18 students per teacher.
  • State figure: the school’s state report card carries current enrollment by grade and student group; it is an interactive dashboard that could not be read for this page.

State report card

Florida gave Brown Barge an A in its 2026 school grades, its third straight A. The school earned 78% of the points possible, according to the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades file. The file lists 31.9% of its students as economically disadvantaged.

2026 school grade measure Result
School grade A (78% of points)
English language arts achievement 86%
English language arts learning gains 66%
Math achievement 91%
Math learning gains 70%
Science achievement 73%
Social studies achievement 81%
Middle school acceleration 97%

Florida grades schools A to F on the share of possible points earned across these measures. Achievement is the share of tested students on grade level; learning gains is the share who improved from the year before. For a middle school, A is 64% of points or more, B is 57% to 63% and C is 44% to 56%, the state’s file says.

Admission instead of a zone

No address is zoned for Brown Barge. The district’s controlled open enrollment page sets its rules:

  • Who may apply: students entering sixth grade; no incoming seventh or eighth graders are selected.
  • Who is eligible: at least a B in each core academic class and a level 2 (“Below Satisfactory”) or higher in both ELA and math on the most recent state assessment.
  • How seats are filled: when eligible applicants outnumber seats, the district draws at random from those who listed the school first, and it says selections for Brown Barge have historically been made that way. Families list three choices in order.
  • When: the online window for the 2026-27 school year opened Oct. 27, 2025. Check the page for the 2027-28 dates.

Families who do not apply, or are not picked, attend their zoned middle school. Inside Pensacola that is J.H. Workman Middle, Ferry Pass Middle or Warrington Preparatory Academy; check any address in the district’s Find Your School lookup.

Calendar and bell times

From the district’s 2026-27 academic calendar (PDF), approved by the School Board on Feb. 18, 2025:

  • Tuesday, Oct. 13: second nine weeks begins
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, no school
  • Nov. 23-27: fall break, including Thanksgiving
  • Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: Christmas break; the third nine weeks begins Tuesday, Jan. 5
  • March 22-26, 2027: spring break

Bell times. Supervision starts at 8:15 a.m., the first bell rings at 8:40 a.m. and dismissal is at 3:25 p.m., the school’s home page says. The last checkout is at 2:45 p.m. Half days end at 12:15 p.m.; for 2026-27 those are Friday, Dec. 18, and Tuesday, May 25, 2027.

Streams and activities

Brown Barge teaches through “streams,” thematic units that tie English, social studies, math and science to one theme, the school’s streams page explains. Its examples include a mock United Nations assembly and building bridges for a fitness trail. Stream titles on the site include Ancient Worlds, Architecture, Bridges, Elections, Flight, Oceans and Robotics.

The school’s athletics page names Chataska Lucas as athletic director and lists boys and girls basketball, swimming and diving, girls volleyball and track and field. Tickets are sold on GoFan.

More on Pensacola schools

Frequently asked questions

How do you get into Brown Barge Middle School?

Students apply through the district’s controlled open enrollment application before sixth grade. Applicants need at least a B in each core class and a level 2 or higher on the state ELA and math tests, and the district has historically filled the school by random selection from eligible applicants.

What is Brown Barge Middle School’s Florida school grade?

Brown Barge earned an A in Florida’s 2026 school grades, with 78% of possible points, its third straight A.

What grades does Brown Barge Middle serve?

Brown Barge is a public magnet school serving grades 6 through 8, the school says. New students are admitted only into sixth grade, according to the district’s eligibility rules.

What time does Brown Barge Middle start?

The first bell rings at 8:40 a.m. and dismissal is at 3:25 p.m., according to the school’s website. Half days end at 12:15 p.m.