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Melrose Park Elementary School

Q: Is Melrose Park Elementary School a good school?

Melrose Park Elementary School ranks 1634 th of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1634^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 28% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Melrose Park Elementary School is a public elementary school in Lake City, Florida, serving 388 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Columbia District, which is ranked 34 out of 67 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. Over the past several years, Melrose Park Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Florida elementary schools, with a 1-2 star rating.

Melrose Park Elementary faces significant challenges, including very high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 30.9% to 40.5%, well above the district and state averages. The school also consistently underperforms on standardized tests, with only 37% of 5th graders proficient in science in 2024-2025, compared to 50% in the district and 55% statewide. Additionally, Melrose Park has an extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 82.37% to 85.05%, much higher than nearby schools. Despite spending between $10,982 to $11,356 per student, which is on the higher end, the school's academic performance remains poor.

When compared to nearby schools in the Columbia District, Melrose Park Elementary stands out as an outlier, with significantly lower test scores and higher chronic absenteeism rates. Addressing the root causes of these challenges, such as enhancing instructional practices and considering the impact of socioeconomic factors, should be key priorities for the school and district to improve student outcomes.

635

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,889

Per pupil spending ?

82.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

820 SE Putnam St
Lake City, FL 32025

(386) 755-8260

District: Columbia

Students who attend Melrose Park Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Lake City Middle School
	Richardson Sixth Grade Academy
High:	Columbia High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

61.1%

White:

19.2%

Hispanic:

10.7%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Melrose Park Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 17th percentile in 2014 → 28th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (46% vs 58% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (40% vs 31% Florida)

!Science scores 18 pts below the Florida average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school46%

District avg57%

Florida avg58%

1,634^th of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 28%▲ up 14 pts since 2016

From bottom 13% (2016) to bottom 28% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Columbia

34^th of 67Columbia 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	30.3	1634 of 2258	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.0	1797 of 2256	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.7	1502 of 2240	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.8	1667 of 2219	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.4	1974 of 2247	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.6	1470 of 2182	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.9	1663 of 2118	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	30.5	1493 of 2112	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	17.2	1807 of 2087	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	22.0	1711 of 2064	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	30.7	1472 of 2029	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	28.7	1477 of 1984	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	46.6	1131 of 1985	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	40.2	1232 of 1919	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	50.9	964 of 1847	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	59.2	760 of 1789	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	41.7	1104 of 1786	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	25.3	1309 of 1688	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

Math56%-5 vs state

English Language Arts40%-17 vs state

Science37%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Melrose Park 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 Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Melrose Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	820 SE Putnam St	Lake City	32025	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 755-8260	635	39	16.2	82.2%	122 (19.2%)	388 (61.1%)	68 (10.7%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (8.5%)	30.3	1634^th of 2258 public elementary schools	27.6%		24	1797^th of 2256 public elementary schools	20.3%	163	33.0	48.0	39.0	54.0	56.0	59.0	37.0	$10,889	$1,294	$9,595
Eastside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	256 SE Beech St	Lake City	32025	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 755-8220	655	35	18.7	58.3%	389 (59.4%)	144 (22.0%)	62 (9.5%)	5 (0.8%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (7.9%)	58.5	915^th of 2258 public elementary schools	59.5%		73.5	562^nd of 2256 public elementary schools	75.1%	353	60.0	54.0	48.0	66.0	72.0	64.0	60.0	$9,238	$1,052	$8,187
Summers Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1388 SW McFarlane Ave	Lake City	32025	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 755-8250	492	31	15.8	72.0%	182 (37.0%)	200 (40.7%)	58 (11.8%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	46 (9.3%)	30.4	1628^th of 2258 public elementary schools	27.9%		31.2	1588^th of 2256 public elementary schools	29.6%	40	46.0	37.0	40.0	74.0	50.0	44.0	32.0	$10,811	$1,346	$9,466
Five Points Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	303 NW Johnson St	Lake City	32055	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 755-8230	349	22	15.8	75.6%	194 (55.6%)	82 (23.5%)	28 (8.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (12.6%)	19.8	1911^th of 2258 public elementary schools	15.4%		24.9	1771^st of 2256 public elementary schools	21.5%	140	42.0	30.0	39.0	47.0	38.0	54.0	38.0	$12,190	$1,341	$10,849
Westside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1956 SW County Road 252b	Lake City	32024	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 755-8280	695	40	17.3	43.9%	448 (64.5%)	98 (14.1%)	55 (7.9%)	22 (3.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (10.1%)	78.5	442^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	80.4%		81.4	369^th of 2256 public elementary schools	83.6%	73	68.0	65.0	75.0	71.0	73.0	77.0	72.0	$9,752	$1,148	$8,603
Pinemount Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	324 SW Gabriel Pl	Lake City	32024	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 755-8172	448	30	14.9	59.4%	304 (67.9%)	62 (13.8%)	47 (10.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.6%)	63.7	784^th of 2258 public elementary schools	65.3%		75.8	509^th of 2256 public elementary schools	77.4%	275	65.0	57.0	47.0	76.0	78.0	63.0	55.0	$11,172	$1,324	$9,848
Columbia City Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7438 SW State Road 47	Lake City	32024	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 758-4850	585	36	16.2	53.0%	435 (74.4%)	37 (6.3%)	71 (12.1%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (6.7%)	42.7	1283^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	43.2%		76.5	492^nd of 2256 public elementary schools	78.2%	791	54.0	50.0	49.0	64.0	65.0	46.0	41.0	$10,929	$1,291	$9,637
Fort White Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	18119 SW State Road 47	Fort White	32038	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 344-6301	644	37	17.4	63.0%	429 (66.6%)	55 (8.5%)	117 (18.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (6.2%)	33.8	1528^th of 2258 public elementary schools	32.3%		37.9	1403^rd of 2256 public elementary schools	37.8%	125	58.0	44.0	41.0	69.0	53.0	41.0	31.0	$9,796	$1,194	$8,602

Frequently Asked Questions about Melrose Park Elementary School

What district is Melrose Park Elementary School in?

Columbia

What schools do graduates of Melrose Park Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Melrose Park Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lake City Middle School
Middle : Richardson Sixth Grade Academy
High : Columbia High School

Is Melrose Park Elementary School a good school?

Melrose Park Elementary School ranks 1634^th of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Melrose Park Elementary School?

Students at Melrose Park Elementary School are 61% African American, 19% White, 11% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races.

How many students attend Melrose Park Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 635 students attended Melrose Park Elementary School.

Rate Melrose Park 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.