Cranberry Elementary School

Cranberry Elementary School in North Port, FL, is a mid-sized school serving 813 students in grades PK-5 within the highly-rated Sarasota County School District, which ranks in the top 13% of Florida districts. The school has a strong historical track record, consistently earning 4-star ratings for nearly a decade, though it recently dipped to a 3-star rating for the 2025-2026 school year. Cranberry serves a predominantly low-income population, with about 66% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, yet it has historically performed well above the state average in core subjects, particularly in Science and Math.

Cranberry’s standout strength is its exceptional and consistent Science performance, with 72% of 5th graders proficient in 2025-2026, matching the district average and significantly exceeding the state average of 60%. The school is also a "Math powerhouse" in a high-poverty context, with Math proficiency rates of 70% to 78% across grades 3-5, well above state averages and competitive with the district. However, a dramatic spike in chronic absenteeism—from 5.2% in 2022-2023 to 20.2% in 2023-2024—is a major concern, as it correlates with a dip in academic performance that year. Interestingly, nearby Toledo Blade Elementary School, with a lower poverty rate and spending $2,712 less per student, consistently outperforms Cranberry in nearly every academic metric, raising questions about the return on Cranberry’s higher per-student spending of $17,607 and lower student-teacher ratio of 14.7:1.

While Math and Science remain strong, English Language Arts (ELA) is a growing concern, with Cranberry losing its competitive edge over the past three years. The school’s 3rd and 5th-grade ELA scores now only match the state average, a reversal from previous years when they were significantly above. The volatile absenteeism rate and the widening ELA gap are critical challenges that need immediate attention. To return to a consistent 4-star rating, the school must investigate the root causes of its absenteeism spike and implement targeted interventions to boost ELA proficiency, especially in lower grades. The success of Toledo Blade suggests these goals are achievable, even with fewer resources.