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Maude Saunders Elementary School

Q: Is Maude Saunders Elementary School a good school?

Maude Saunders Elementary School ranks 1219 th of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

1219^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 46% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Maude Saunders Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Defuniak Springs, Florida, serving grades K-5 with a student population of 561. The school is part of the Walton School District, which is ranked 8th out of 67 districts in Florida and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite the school's location in a highly-ranked district, Maude Saunders Elementary has consistently underperformed compared to the district and state averages on standardized tests, including FAST (English Language Arts and Math) and Statewide Science. The school has also struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 24.3% to 32.4% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, Maude Saunders has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 79.92% to 87.34% over the past few years, suggesting a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

Interestingly, the nearby Freeport Elementary School, Mossy Head School, and West Defuniak Elementary School generally outperform Maude Saunders Elementary in terms of test scores, chronic absenteeism, and free and reduced lunch rates. This suggests that Maude Saunders Elementary may face unique challenges that the other schools in the Walton School District do not. Despite the relatively high per-student spending at Maude Saunders Elementary, the school's academic performance remains below the district and state averages, indicating that simply increasing funding may not be enough to address the underlying issues at the school.

554

Students ?

12.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,391

Per pupil spending ?

82.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

416 John Baldwin Rd
Defuniak Springs, FL 32433

(850) 892-1260

District: Walton

Racial breakdown:

White:

55.2%

Hispanic:

21.1%

African American:

13.2%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Maude Saunders Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 28th percentile in 2014 → 46th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

!Science scores 14 pts below the Florida average

!Near the bottom of Walton's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school54%

District avg69%

Florida avg58%

1,219^th of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 46%▲ up 16 pts since 2016

From bottom 30% (2016) to bottom 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Walton

8^th of 67Walton 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
2025	45.1	1219 of 2258	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.5	1356 of 2256	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.7	1055 of 2240	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.2	1368 of 2219	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.5	973 of 2247	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.9	1430 of 2182	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.3	1539 of 2118	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	31.7	1448 of 2112	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	32.3	1456 of 2087	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	31.2	1487 of 2064	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	37.5	1289 of 2029	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	44.3	1126 of 1984	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	47.5	1110 of 1985	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	50.4	1023 of 1919	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	42.6	1139 of 1847	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	51.7	912 of 1789	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	53.5	881 of 1786	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	56.5	749 of 1688	55.6%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

Math57%-3 vs state

English Language Arts55%~ state avg

Science41%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Maude Saunders 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 Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Maude Saunders Elementary School	Public	K-5	416 John Baldwin Rd	Defuniak Springs	32433	Walton County	Walton	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 892-1260	554	46	12.1	82.7%	306 (55.2%)	73 (13.2%)	117 (21.1%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	50 (9.0%)	45.1	1219^th of 2258 public elementary schools	46.0%		39.5	1356^th of 2256 public elementary schools	39.9%	137	66.0	52.0	46.0	71.0	59.0	41.0	41.0	$17,391	$1,346	$16,044
West Defuniak Elementary School	Public	K-5	815 Lincoln Ave	Defuniak Springs	32435	Walton County	Walton	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 892-1250	704	50	14.0	70.0%	409 (58.1%)	70 (9.9%)	163 (23.2%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	54 (7.7%)	65	757^th of 2258 public elementary schools	66.5%		73.8	554^th of 2256 public elementary schools	75.4%	203	52.0	66.0	61.0	68.0	64.0	67.0	66.0	$14,729	$1,138	$13,590
Ponce De Leon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1473 Ammons Rd	Ponce De Leon	32455	Holmes County	Holmes	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 836-4296	272	20	13.6	71.3%	255 (93.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.7%)	30.5	1625^th of 2258 public elementary schools	28.0%		29.4	1636^th of 2256 public elementary schools	27.5%	11	47.0	58.0	33.0	50.0	50.0	43.0	46.0	$12,234	$1,208	$11,026
Mossy Head School	Public	PK, KG-5	13270 Us Highway 90 W	Defuniak Springs	32433	Walton County	Walton	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 892-1290	521	35	15.0	83.7%	337 (64.7%)	14 (2.7%)	127 (24.4%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (7.1%)	68	692^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	69.4%		65.9	721^st of 2256 public elementary schools	68.0%	29	61.0	59.0	66.0	69.0	76.0	71.0	56.0	$14,642	$1,267	$13,376
Freeport Elementary School	Public	K-4	160 Victory Blvd	Freeport	32439	Walton County	Walton	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 892-1210	1,120	73	15.3	52.5%	766 (68.4%)	35 (3.1%)	242 (21.6%)	15 (1.3%)	11 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	50 (4.5%)	71.2	605^th of 2258 public elementary schools	73.2%		73.7	555^th of 2256 public elementary schools	75.4%	50	67.0	68.0		75.0	63.0			$13,180	$838	$12,342

Frequently Asked Questions about Maude Saunders Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Maude Saunders Elementary School?

Students at Maude Saunders Elementary School are 55% White, 21% Hispanic, 13% African American, 9% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Maude Saunders Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Maude Saunders Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Emerald Coast Middle School
Middle : Freeport Middle School
Middle : Walton Middle School
High : Freeport Senior High School
High : South Walton High School
High : Walton High School

How many students attend Maude Saunders Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 554 students attended Maude Saunders Elementary School.

What district is Maude Saunders Elementary School in?

Walton

Is Maude Saunders Elementary School a good school?

Maude Saunders Elementary School ranks 1219^th of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Maude Saunders Elementary School!

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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.