Campbell Park Elementary School

Campbell Park Elementary School in St. Petersburg, FL, is a public school serving 502 students from Pre-K through 5th grade in a predominantly low-income community, with over 81% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. This school is part of the high-performing Pinellas County School District and is currently in the midst of a dramatic academic turnaround, moving from the 4th percentile statewide in 2021-2022 to the 49th percentile in 2025-2026—a remarkable jump that sets it apart from nearby schools.

The most striking feature of Campbell Park is its rapid improvement in test scores, especially in math, where 4th and 5th graders now perform at or above the district average. This is a significant shift from its history as one of the lowest-performing schools in Florida, earning a 0-star rating for six consecutive years. However, this progress is shadowed by a severe chronic absenteeism crisis: 59.2% of students are chronically absent, the highest rate in the area and nearly double the district average. For comparison, nearby James B. Sanderlin K-8 has an absenteeism rate of just 11.3%, while Lakeview Fundamental Elementary sits at 14.0%. This paradox—strong academic gains despite low attendance—suggests that the school's new strategies are highly effective for the students who do attend regularly.

When compared to its closest neighbor, Melrose Elementary School, which serves a similar demographic just 0.63 miles away, Campbell Park is now outperforming it in nearly every academic subject, including 3rd-grade ELA (51% vs. 44%) and 5th-grade math (69% vs. 78%). The school spends $16,964 per student, more than high-performing peers like Midtown Academy ($13,984), but less than other struggling schools like Fairmount Park Elementary ($19,550). While the academic rebound is impressive, the school's future success hinges on solving its chronic absenteeism challenge, which remains the highest in the area.