Elementary Schools in Flagler

The six elementary schools in Flagler County serve grades PK-5 (with one K-8 charter) and are part of a district ranked 14th in Florida, offering families a wide range of academic environments from top-tier performers to schools facing significant challenges.

Old Kings Elementary School stands out as the district's clear academic leader, with 86% of 3rd graders proficient in ELA and 89% in Math—far exceeding both district and state averages. In contrast, Bunnell Elementary School struggles the most, with the lowest state ranking (36th percentile), highest chronic absenteeism (36.6%), and the highest percentage of students on free/reduced lunch (52.4%). Belle Terre Elementary School serves as a consistent middle performer with the largest enrollment (1,288 students) and the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (27.2%). Imagine School at Town Center is a unique K-8 charter with the lowest per-student spending ($7,979) and highest student-teacher ratio (18.8:1), showing mixed results—weak in early grades but strong in middle school subjects like Civics (76%). Rymfire Elementary School and Lewis E. Wadsworth Elementary round out the district with moderate performance and varying levels of need.

A key takeaway is the strong link between socioeconomic factors and academic outcomes: schools with higher poverty rates, like Bunnell, consistently underperform despite receiving the highest per-student funding ($13,749) and the lowest student-teacher ratio (12.6:1). Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide concern at 31.6%, above the state average, and directly correlates with lower test scores. Old Kings Elementary is an outlier in excellence, suggesting its practices could be replicated elsewhere, while the charter model at Imagine School shows that lower funding can still yield competitive results for older students.