Blue Lake Elementary School

Blue Lake Elementary School in Deland, FL, is a public school serving 524 students in grades PK-5 within the Volusia County School District, where 65% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Blue Lake Elementary faces significant challenges, particularly with chronic absenteeism, which affects 37.7% of students—far higher than nearby schools like Timbercrest Elementary (22.6%) and Freedom Elementary (24.6%). This attendance issue is closely tied to the school's academic struggles, as it consistently ranks in the bottom 30% of Florida elementary schools. For example, Manatee Cove Elementary and Orange City Elementary also face similar low rankings, but Blue Lake's performance is notably weaker than its closest neighbor, George W. Marks Elementary, which ranks in the 47th percentile. Despite spending $12,679 per student—more than many peers like Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts ($7,341) and Citrus Grove Elementary ($10,864)—the school has not translated this investment into higher test scores.

There are some bright spots: 5th-grade science proficiency reached 59%, nearly matching the state average, and 4th-grade math has shown steady improvement. However, a troubling trend emerges in English Language Arts, where proficiency drops from 56% in 3rd grade to 44% in 5th grade, a decline not seen in the district or state. The contrast with Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts, just 4.65 miles away, is striking: Ivy Hawn has a 73rd percentile ranking, 14.3% chronic absenteeism, and lower poverty rates, suggesting that Blue Lake's challenges are deeply tied to socioeconomic factors and school culture rather than funding alone. Nearby schools like Volusia Pines Elementary and Woodward Avenue Elementary also outperform Blue Lake, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to break the cycle of poverty, absenteeism, and low academic performance.