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James M. Anderson Elementary School

Q: Is James M. Anderson Elementary School a good school?

James M. Anderson Elementary School ranks 1092 nd of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

1092^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 52% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

James M. Anderson Elementary School is a public elementary school in Cross City, Florida, serving 385 students in grades PK-4 as part of the Dixie school district. While the school has relatively high spending per student, it faces several challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates and lower-than-average test scores compared to the state and district.

Specifically, James M. Anderson Elementary has seen chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 30.9% to 41.6% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average and the 31.4% rate at nearby Old Town Elementary School. The school's test scores are also generally lower than the state and Dixie district averages, with 3rd grade English Language Arts proficiency at 65% compared to 70% for the district and 57% for the state, and 5th grade Science proficiency at 45% compared to 54% for the district and 55% for the state.

When comparing James M. Anderson Elementary to other nearby schools, such as Chiefland Elementary, Bell Elementary, and Steinhatchee School, the data suggests that the challenges faced by James M. Anderson may be related to its high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, which ranges from 76.95% to 83.9%. While the school's spending per student is relatively high, the academic performance remains below the state and district averages, indicating a need to evaluate the effectiveness of resource allocation and explore targeted interventions to support the unique needs of the student population.

563

Students ?

18.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,149

Per pupil spending ?

71.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

815 SE 351 Hwy
Cross City, FL 32628

(352) 541-6251

District: Dixie

Students who attend James M. Anderson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Ruth Rains Middle School
High:	Dixie County High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

77.1%

African American:

8.0%

Two or more races:

7.6%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare James M. Anderson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 64th percentile in 2022 → 52nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the Florida median (52nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 64th-percentile peak (2022) to 52nd (2025)

!Science scores 10 pts below the Florida average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school59%

District avg63%

Florida avg58%

1,092^nd of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Top 48%▲ up 12 pts since 2016

From bottom 40% (2016) to top 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Elementary Schools in the Dixie

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	50.9	1092 of 2258	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.5	1007 of 2256	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.3	1131 of 2240	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.4	806 of 2219	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.0	858 of 2247	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.6	1160 of 2182	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.6	1302 of 2118	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	46.0	1138 of 2112	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	40.4	1257 of 2087	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	46.5	1098 of 2064	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	38.6	1266 of 2029	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	37.4	1272 of 1984	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	59.8	844 of 1985	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	45.4	1134 of 1919	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.9	1066 of 1847	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	44.5	1052 of 1789	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	56.1	825 of 1786	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	36.4	1115 of 1688	33.9%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

Math63%~ state avg

English Language Arts57%~ state avg

Science45%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near James M. Anderson 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
James M. Anderson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	815 SE 351 Hwy	Cross City	32628	Dixie County	Dixie	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 541-6251	563	30	18.7	71.9%	434 (77.1%)	45 (8.0%)	39 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	43 (7.6%)	50.9	1092^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	51.6%		53.5	1007^th of 2256 public elementary schools	55.4%	85	65.0	49.0	37.0	68.0	87.0	65.0	45.0	58.0	45.0	$10,149	$1,874	$8,275
Dixie Virtual Instruction Program	Public, Virtual	K-5	16077 SE Hwy 19	Cross City	32628	Dixie County	Dixie	No	No	Yes	No	(352) 541-6335	2	0			2 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Kinder Cub School Inc	Public, Charter	PK, KG-2	149 NE 221st Ave	Cross City	32628	Dixie County	Dixie	Yes	No	No	Yes	(352) 498-0002	121	5	24.2	78.5%	83 (68.6%)	33 (27.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	4 (3.3%)								(n/a)										$9,826	$00	$9,826
Old Town Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	221 SE 136th Ave	Old Town	32680	Dixie County	Dixie	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 541-6253	517	27	19.1	70.8%	480 (92.8%)	13 (2.5%)	20 (3.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	78.8	431^st of 2258 public elementary schools	80.9%		80	408^th of 2256 public elementary schools	81.9%	23	74.0	67.0	59.0		82.0	77.0	75.0		65.0	$11,405	$2,049	$9,355
Steinhatchee School	Public	PK, KG-5	1209 SE 1st Ave	Steinhatchee	32359	Taylor County	Taylor	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 498-3304	112	9	12.4	63.4%	106 (94.6%)	1 (0.9%)	2 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.7%)	80.9	390^th of 2258 public elementary schools	82.7%		81.3	371^st of 2256 public elementary schools	83.6%	19	70.0	86.0	90.0		55.0	100.0	90.0		90.0	$18,595	$1,424	$17,170
Whispering Winds Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	2481 NW Old Fannin Rd	Chiefland	32626	Levy County	Levy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(352) 490-5799	132	10	13.2	72.7%	97 (73.5%)	4 (3.0%)	25 (18.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.5%)	36.6	1462^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	35.3%		64.7	759^th of 2256 public elementary schools	66.4%	703	57.0	44.0	41.0		57.0	50.0	47.0		53.0	$10,170	$781	$9,390
Trenton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1350 SW State Road 26	Trenton	32693	Gilchrist County	Gilchrist	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 463-3224	779	45	17.3	52.0%	572 (73.4%)	48 (6.2%)	113 (14.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (5.6%)	68.9	668^th of 2258 public elementary schools	70.4%		66.6	709^th of 2256 public elementary schools	68.6%	41	65.0	62.0	63.0		72.0	75.0	58.0		61.0	$12,761	$1,610	$11,151
Chiefland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1205 NW 4th Ave	Chiefland	32626	Levy County	Levy	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 493-6040	725	40	18.1	66.5%	505 (69.7%)	63 (8.7%)	70 (9.7%)	12 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	75 (10.3%)	38.8	1395^th of 2258 public elementary schools	38.2%		33.5	1528^th of 2256 public elementary schools	32.3%	133	53.0	55.0	49.0		63.0	48.0	40.0		46.0	$10,738	$1,542	$9,196
Gilchrist Virtual Instruction Program (District Provided)	Public, Virtual	K-5	310 NW 11th Ave	Trenton	32693	Gilchrist County	Gilchrist	No	No	Yes	No	(352) 463-3200	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Bell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2771 E Bell Ave	Bell	32619	Gilchrist County	Gilchrist	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 463-3275	656	37	17.6	51.4%	534 (81.4%)	14 (2.1%)	92 (14.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.3%)	53.3	1033^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	54.3%		75.7	512^th of 2256 public elementary schools	77.3%	521	50.0	60.0	56.0		60.0	70.0	49.0		62.0	$12,288	$1,480	$10,808

Frequently Asked Questions about James M. Anderson Elementary School

How many students attend James M. Anderson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 563 students attended James M. Anderson Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of James M. Anderson Elementary School?

Students at James M. Anderson Elementary School are 77% White, 8% African American, 8% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of James M. Anderson Elementary School attend?

Students who attend James M. Anderson Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Ruth Rains Middle School
High : Dixie County High School

Is James M. Anderson Elementary School a good school?

James M. Anderson Elementary School ranks 1092^nd of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is James M. Anderson Elementary School in?

Dixie

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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.