Elementary Schools in Okeechobee

The five elementary schools in Okeechobee, Florida, serve grades PK-5 in a district ranked in the bottom 1% statewide, where over half of all students are chronically absent and poverty rates are high.

South Elementary School is the clear standout, consistently ranking in the top half of the state and earning a 3-star rating—the only school in the district to do so. Despite a 70.53% free/reduced lunch rate, it outperforms the district average by double digits in nearly every subject, with 69% of 3rd graders proficient in ELA versus the district's 50%. In contrast, North Elementary School has experienced a dramatic collapse, dropping from the 36th percentile to the 2nd percentile in just two years, with only 26% of 5th graders proficient in math. Seminole Elementary School shows a unique strength in mathematics, with 54% of 5th graders proficient in math—9 points above the district average—despite having the highest poverty rate at 91%. Everglades Elementary School has the highest per-student spending ($13,605) but ranks in the 16th percentile, while Central Elementary School falls in the middle of the pack across most metrics.

The most critical issue facing all five schools is chronic absenteeism, which reached a staggering 50.2% district-wide—far above the state average of 31.4%. Even the top-performing South Elementary has a 47.7% chronic absenteeism rate. This crisis is almost certainly the primary driver of the district's low academic performance, as students cannot learn if they are not in class. The data also reveals that spending does not correlate with results: South Elementary achieves the best outcomes with the second-lowest spending ($11,990), while Everglades spends the most but performs poorly. For parents, this means school-level leadership and targeted programs—like Seminole's math focus or South's overall approach—matter far more than budget size in overcoming the challenges of poverty and absenteeism.