Driftwood Elementary School

Driftwood Elementary School in Hollywood, FL, is a public school serving 426 students in grades PK through 5 as part of the Broward district, and it has recently shown a promising academic rebound after several challenging years.

One of the most notable things about Driftwood is that it spends more per student than any nearby school—$17,342 per pupil—yet its academic performance has historically lagged behind. After spending several years in the bottom 20th percentile statewide, the school jumped to the 37th percentile in the most recent ranking, earning a 2-star rating for the first time since 2019. This improvement is a positive sign, but it still trails high-performing neighbors like Hollywood Park Elementary School (72nd percentile) and Charter School Of Excellence At Davie (69th percentile), both of which spend less per student. The school’s biggest challenge has been chronic absenteeism, which peaked at a staggering 44% in 2021-2022—far higher than nearby Sheridan Park Elementary School (22.6%) and the charter school Championship Academy Of Distinction At Davie (1.9%). While absenteeism has dropped to 36.5%, it remains a critical issue that directly impacts test scores.

Encouragingly, the percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch has declined from 72.6% to 54.2%, bringing it in line with surrounding schools. This demographic shift, combined with a drop in absenteeism, likely contributed to the recent academic gains. However, Driftwood’s performance is inconsistent across grade levels—4th graders significantly outperformed 5th graders in both English and math in the latest data. This suggests that while the school has the financial resources to improve, it must focus on solving its attendance crisis and ensuring consistent instruction across all grades to match the success of its higher-performing neighbors like Sheridan Hills Elementary School.