Elementary Schools in Lake

Lake County, Florida, is home to 30 elementary-level schools serving grades PK-5 and PK-8, with a district ranked 32nd out of 70 in the state and a 3-star rating, offering a diverse mix of traditional public schools and charter options across suburban and rural areas.

The top-tier schools in Lake County are dominated by charter institutions, with Pinecrest Lakes Academy leading the pack as a 5-star school in the 99th percentile statewide, boasting exceptional test scores and the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at just 6.6%. Close behind are Round Lake Charter School and Minneola Charter School, both 5-star performers with math proficiency rates often exceeding 90%. Among traditional public schools, Cypress Ridge Elementary School stands out with a 4-star rating and the lowest percentage of students on free/reduced lunch (16.23%). At the other end of the spectrum, Leesburg Elementary School, Eustis Heights Elementary School, and Groveland Elementary School all received 0-star ratings, ranking in the bottom 10th percentile with very low test scores and chronic absenteeism rates between 33% and 50%.

The most compelling story is Altoona School, a small rural school with 248 students and the highest poverty rate in the dataset (82.26% free/reduced lunch), yet it defies expectations by earning a 4-star rating and an 88th percentile rank, with math scores rivaling the top charter schools. Chronic absenteeism emerges as the strongest predictor of performance: every school with a rate above 35% is low-performing, while every school below 15% is high-performing. Notably, high spending does not guarantee success—Triangle Elementary School spends the most per student ($15,187) but has a 1-star rating, while Pinecrest Lakes spends just $8,148 per student. For parents, this data highlights that school choice in Lake County requires looking beyond star ratings to factors like attendance and community support, with Altoona proving that high poverty does not have to mean low performance.