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James E Plew Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

186^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 92% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

James E Plew Elementary School in Niceville, FL, serves 762 students in grades PK-5 and is a high-performing school within the Okaloosa district, consistently ranking in the top 10% of elementary schools in Florida.

What truly sets Plew apart is its remarkable consistency across all subjects and grade levels, combined with an extremely low chronic absenteeism rate of just 12.1%—nearly half the district average and far below many nearby schools like Longwood Elementary (33.3%) and Elliott Point Elementary (32.3%). While Bluewater Elementary (just 3 miles away) posts slightly higher scores in some areas, Plew’s performance is more uniform, with math being a clear strength—91% of 4th graders were proficient in math, outpacing the district average by 23 points. The school also demonstrates efficient spending, achieving top results while spending $9,100 per student, less than many lower-performing peers like Kenwood Elementary ($13,844) and Addie R. Lewis School ($13,780).

Plew is part of a "Niceville cluster" of excellent schools, including Bluewater Elementary and Lula J. Edge Elementary, all within 3 miles and performing well above district and state averages. The school showed resilience after a slight post-pandemic dip in 2021-2022, quickly recovering to a 5-star rating. With a free/reduced lunch rate of 27.69%, Plew serves a relatively affluent community, but nearby Lula J. Edge Elementary (46.51% free/reduced lunch) also achieves strong results, showing that school culture and instructional quality are key factors in success.

762

Students ?

17.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,100

Per pupil spending ?

27.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

220 Pine Ave
Niceville, FL 32578

(850) 833-4100

District: Okaloosa

Students who attend James E Plew Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	C. W. Ruckel Middle School
High:	Niceville Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.1%

Hispanic:

11.7%

Two or more races:

10.6%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare James E Plew Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 95th percentile in 2016 → 92nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Florida average (81% vs 62% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 8% of Florida elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Okaloosa

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school81%

District avg67%

Florida avg62%

186^th of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Top 8%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From top 5% (2016) to top 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 20Elementary Schools in the Okaloosa

12^th of 70Okaloosa 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
2026	87.9	186 of 2240	91.7%	★★★★★
2025	89.0	195 of 2258	91.4%	★★★★★
2024	89.5	196 of 2256	91.3%	★★★★★
2023	91.2	138 of 2240	93.8%	★★★★★
2022	88.1	231 of 2219	89.6%	★★★★☆
2021	90.6	164 of 2247	92.7%	★★★★★
2019	93.5	62 of 2182	97.2%	★★★★★
2018	91.1	124 of 2118	94.1%	★★★★★
2017	89.1	170 of 2112	92.0%	★★★★★
2016	92.7	99 of 2087	95.3%	★★★★★
2014	88.5	176 of 2064	91.5%	★★★★★
2013	85.3	236 of 2029	88.4%	★★★★☆
2012	91.5	108 of 1984	94.6%	★★★★★
2011	91.6	77 of 1985	96.1%	★★★★★
2010	89.9	104 of 1919	94.6%	★★★★★
2009	91.9	60 of 1847	96.8%	★★★★★
2008	91.7	75 of 1789	95.8%	★★★★★
2007	93.1	44 of 1786	97.5%	★★★★★
2006	96.4	15 of 1688	99.1%	★★★★★

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Math82%+18 vs state

English Language Arts81%+20 vs state

Science76%+16 vs state

3.7

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, February 21, 2018

The principle, Mrs. Mccallister is very rude. She hung up on me today while i was voicing my opinions and concerns about my son and his teacher! I called the superintendent and scheduled a meeting. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, June 5, 2009

Plew is an older school in Niceville,compared to Bluewater Elementary. Alot of people who live in Bluewater therefor want their children to go to Bluewater Elementary. Please DO NOT judge a book(or school) by its cover. Plew is and EXCELLANT school. I have had the choice to have my children go to Bluewater and I would not do it, no reason to. The faculty and staff at Plew are AMAZING and the parent volunteers are the BEST in the area. I can't say enough about this school... Close Quote

Schools Near James E Plew Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				FAST English Language Arts (2026)						FAST Math (2026)						Statewide Science Science (2026)		EOC Algebra 1 (2026)	EOC Geometry (2026)	EOC Civics (2026)	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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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 English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
James E Plew Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	220 Pine Ave	Niceville	32578	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	No	(850) 833-4100	762	43	17.7	27.7%	557 (73.1%)	21 (2.8%)	89 (11.7%)	13 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	81 (10.6%)	87.9	186^th of 2240 public elementary schools	91.7%		89	195^th of 2258 public elementary schools	91.4%	9	82.0	78.0	82.0				81.0	85.0	81.0				76.0					$9,100	$279	$8,821
Lula J. Edge Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	300 Highway 85 N	Niceville	32578	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	No	(850) 833-4138	501	31	16.4	46.5%	352 (70.3%)	18 (3.6%)	49 (9.8%)	7 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	74 (14.8%)	76.9	458^th of 2240 public elementary schools	79.6%		81.9	369^th of 2258 public elementary schools	83.7%	89	74.0	67.0	71.0				80.0	83.0	78.0				62.0					$11,090	$530	$10,561
Addie R. Lewis School	Public	PK, KG-8	281 Mississippi Ave	Valparaiso	32580	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 833-4130	653	45	14.5	47.8%	386 (59.1%)	68 (10.4%)	98 (15.0%)	10 (1.5%)	3 (0.5%)	4 (0.6%)	84 (12.9%)	62	834^th of 2240 public elementary schools	62.8%		52.6	1059^th of 2258 public elementary schools	53.1%	225	55.0	63.0	67.0	80.0	77.0	82.0	45.0	71.0	66.0	74.0	69.0	79.0	59.0	80.0	94.0	100.0	97.0	$13,780	$1,149	$12,632
Bluewater Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4545 Range Rd	Niceville	32578	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	No	(850) 833-4240	885	52	17.0	20.9%	708 (80.0%)	11 (1.2%)	95 (10.7%)	9 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	61 (6.9%)	92.2	89^th of 2240 public elementary schools	96.0%		88	227^th of 2258 public elementary schools	89.9%	138	78.0	83.0	82.0				92.0	91.0	85.0				85.0					$9,256	$545	$8,712
Eglin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	200 Gaffney Rd	Eglin Afb	32542	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	No	(850) 833-4320	436	25	17.4	31.9%	187 (42.9%)	61 (14.0%)	107 (24.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	77 (17.7%)	67.5	697^th of 2240 public elementary schools	68.9%		68.9	667^th of 2258 public elementary schools	70.5%	30	69.0	62.0	68.0				67.0	80.0	70.0				64.0					$10,203	$338	$9,865
Destin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	630 Kelly St	Destin	32541	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	No	(850) 833-4360	910	53	17.1	44.5%	590 (64.8%)	49 (5.4%)	175 (19.2%)	21 (2.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	73 (8.0%)	76	483^rd of 2240 public elementary schools	78.4%		82.9	340^th of 2258 public elementary schools	84.9%	143	63.0	75.0					74.0	87.0										$9,519	$233	$9,286
Shalimar Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1350 Joe Martin Cir	Shalimar	32579	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 833-4339	557	32	17.4	68.8%	288 (51.7%)	52 (9.3%)	140 (25.1%)	12 (2.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (11.3%)	41.4	1363^rd of 2240 public elementary schools	39.2%		43.8	1249^th of 2258 public elementary schools	44.7%	114	41.0	44.0	70.0				66.0	51.0	63.0				59.0					$10,507	$809	$9,699
Longwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	50 Holly Ave	Shalimar	32579	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 833-4329	555	34	16.3	76.6%	133 (24.0%)	65 (11.7%)	291 (52.4%)	13 (2.3%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	49 (8.8%)	10.7	2131^st of 2240 public elementary schools	4.9%		9.8	2154^th of 2258 public elementary schools	4.6%	23	31.0	42.0	36.0				49.0	38.0	34.0				36.0					$11,639	$996	$10,644
Kenwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	15 Eagle St NE	Fort Walton Beach	32547	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 833-3570	471	34	13.8	67.1%	227 (48.2%)	52 (11.0%)	114 (24.2%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	70 (14.9%)	29.7	1674^th of 2240 public elementary schools	25.3%		38.7	1397^th of 2258 public elementary schools	38.1%	277	43.0	50.0	59.0				43.0	50.0	51.0				56.0					$13,844	$1,235	$12,610
Elliott Point Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	301 Hughes St NE	Fort Walton Beach	32548	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 833-3355	583	34	17.1	74.6%	263 (45.1%)	84 (14.4%)	159 (27.3%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	68 (11.7%)	38.9	1434^th of 2240 public elementary schools	36.0%		37.3	1437^th of 2258 public elementary schools	36.4%	3	51.0	55.0	58.0				61.0	57.0	53.0				53.0					$11,650	$1,118	$10,533

Frequently Asked Questions about James E Plew Elementary School

How many students attend James E Plew Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 762 students attended James E Plew Elementary School.

Is James E Plew Elementary School a good school?

Yes. James E Plew Elementary School ranks in the top 8.3% of Florida elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of James E Plew Elementary School?

Students at James E Plew Elementary School are 73% White, 12% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 3% African American, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of James E Plew Elementary School attend?

Students who attend James E Plew Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : C. W. Ruckel Middle School
High : Niceville Senior High School

What district is James E Plew Elementary School in?

Okaloosa

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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.