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Chester Shell Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

2108^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 7% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Chester Shell Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Hawthorne, Florida, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 323 students. The school is part of the Alachua School District, which is ranked 45 out of 67 districts in Florida and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Chester Shell Elementary School is consistently underperforming compared to the Alachua district and the state of Florida in key metrics. The school has high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 29.9% to 50.5% over the past few years, significantly higher than the district and state averages. Standardized test scores are also consistently low, with only 37% of 5th-grade students proficient or better in Statewide Science, compared to 47% in Alachua and 55% statewide. Additionally, the school has an extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 79.21% to 84.52%, indicating a high concentration of economically disadvantaged students.

When compared to nearby schools within the Alachua district, such as Alachua Virtual Instruction Program and Micanopy Area Cooperative School, Chester Shell Elementary School performs significantly worse in terms of test scores, school ranking, and student outcomes. These nearby schools, despite serving similar student populations, are able to achieve much higher levels of academic performance, suggesting that Chester Shell Elementary School may be facing unique challenges in providing a quality education to its students.

282

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

75.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

21633 SE 65th Ave
Hawthorne, FL 32640

(352) 481-1901

District: Alachua

Students who attend Chester Shell Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Hawthorne Middle/High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.5%

African American:

33.3%

Two or more races:

11.0%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Chester Shell Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 19th percentile in 2014 → 7th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (34% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (50% vs 31% Florida)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg53%

Florida avg58%

2,108^th of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 20 pts since 2016

From bottom 26% (2016) to bottom 7% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

24^th of 28Elementary Schools in the Alachua

45^th of 67Alachua among Florida districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2025	11.9	2108 of 2258	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.1	2058 of 2256	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	2060 of 2240	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.7	2067 of 2219	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.5	2082 of 2247	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.0	1760 of 2182	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.9	1272 of 2118	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	58.4	859 of 2112	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	29.0	1536 of 2087	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	22.9	1680 of 2064	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	17.5	1784 of 2029	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	8.3	1899 of 1984	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	8.4	1897 of 1985	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	24.1	1552 of 1919	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	6.2	1783 of 1847	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	11.4	1665 of 1789	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	14.2	1611 of 1786	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	24.8	1319 of 1688	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	23.0	179 of 202	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

Science37%-18 vs state

English Language Arts36%-20 vs state

Math30%-31 vs state

★

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Schools Near Chester Shell Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				FAST English Language Arts (2025)				FAST Math (2025)				Statewide Science Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Chester Shell Elementary School	Public	K-5	21633 SE 65th Ave	Hawthorne	32640	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 481-1901	282	19	15.2	75.5%	134 (47.5%)	94 (33.3%)	23 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (11.0%)	11.9	2108^th of 2258 public elementary schools	6.6%		14.1	2058^th of 2256 public elementary schools	8.8%	50	42.0	31.0	37.0		35.0	33.0	23.0		37.0
Ochwilla Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	299 N State Road 21	Hawthorne	32640	Putnam County	Putnam	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 481-0204	388	22	17.6	53.6%	216 (55.7%)	59 (15.2%)	66 (17.0%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (11.1%)	18.7	1958^th of 2258 public elementary schools	13.3%		21.5	1868^th of 2256 public elementary schools	17.2%	90	32.0	24.0	41.0	46.0	28.0	32.0	28.0	60.0	52.0	$14,150	$2,958	$11,192
Melrose Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	401 State Road 26	Melrose	32666	Putnam County	Putnam	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 475-2060	353	23	15.3	47.9%	258 (73.1%)	31 (8.8%)	30 (8.5%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (8.2%)	66.2	729^th of 2258 public elementary schools	67.7%		73.8	551^st of 2256 public elementary schools	75.6%	178	62.0	62.0	48.0	75.0	64.0	80.0	63.0	94.0	54.0	$14,289	$2,234	$12,056
Lake Forest Elementary School	Public	K-5	4401 SE 4th Ave	Gainesville	32641	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 955-6710	268	19	14.1	84.7%	22 (8.2%)	209 (78.0%)	23 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.4%)	11 (4.1%)	11.5	2112^th of 2258 public elementary schools	6.5%		21.4	1870^th of 2256 public elementary schools	17.1%	242	40.0	33.0	44.0		31.0	15.0	32.0		24.0
Robert H. Jenkins Junior Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	251 S State Road 315	Interlachen	32148	Putnam County	Putnam	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 684-2130	844	45	18.7	59.0%	630 (74.6%)	45 (5.3%)	129 (15.3%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	34 (4.0%)	23.5	1807^th of 2258 public elementary schools	20.0%		28.2	1678^th of 2256 public elementary schools	25.6%	129	43.0	36.0	37.0	48.0	46.0	30.0	34.0	63.0	50.0	$11,292	$1,725	$9,567
McIntosh Area School	Public, Charter	K-5	20400 10th St	Mc Intosh	32664	Marion County	Marion	Yes	No	No	Yes	(352) 591-9797	47	1	47.0	59.6%	36 (76.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (12.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (10.6%)								(n/a)										$12,350	$1,406	$10,943
Keystone Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	335 SW Pecan St	Keystone Heights	32656	Clay County	Clay	No	No	No	No	(904) 336-1375	779	60	13.0	66.2%	650 (83.4%)	25 (3.2%)	68 (8.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	33 (4.2%)	55.5	979^th of 2258 public elementary schools	56.6%		56.3	939^th of 2256 public elementary schools	58.4%	40	65.0	43.0	55.0	68.0	73.0	59.0	51.0	73.0	54.0	$11,457	$1,038	$10,420
Micanopy Area Cooperative School Inc.	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	802 NW Seminary Ave	Micanopy	32667	Alachua County	Alachua	Yes	No	No	No	(352) 466-0990	212	16	13.2	28.3%	169 (79.7%)	14 (6.6%)	22 (10.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.3%)	73.7	538^th of 2258 public elementary schools	76.2%		75	527^th of 2256 public elementary schools	76.6%	11	65.0	64.0	50.0		86.0	75.0	70.0		70.0
Joseph Williams Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	1245 SE 7th Ave	Gainesville	32641	Alachua County	Alachua	No	Yes	No	Yes	(352) 955-6719	398	27	14.7	82.2%	20 (5.0%)	328 (82.4%)	12 (3.0%)	5 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (8.0%)	4.9	2220^th of 2258 public elementary schools	1.7%		35.1	1488^th of 2256 public elementary schools	34.0%	732	17.0	31.0	33.0		21.0	24.0	26.0		23.0
Caring & Sharing Learning School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	1951 SE 4th St	Gainesville	32641	Alachua County	Alachua	Yes	No	No	Yes	(352) 372-1004	369	18	20.5	65.9%	1 (0.3%)	342 (92.7%)	10 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.1%)	70.7	619^th of 2258 public elementary schools	72.6%		59	885^th of 2256 public elementary schools	60.8%	266	67.0	69.0	48.0		85.0	78.0	75.0		50.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Chester Shell Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Chester Shell Elementary School?

Students at Chester Shell Elementary School are 48% White, 33% African American, 11% Two or more races, 8% Hispanic.

What district is Chester Shell Elementary School in?

Alachua

What schools do graduates of Chester Shell Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Chester Shell Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Hawthorne Middle/High School

Is Chester Shell Elementary School a good school?

Chester Shell Elementary School ranks in the bottom 6.6% of Florida elementary schools.

How many students attend Chester Shell Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 282 students attended Chester Shell Elementary School.

Rate Chester Shell Elementary School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.