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Santa Rosa


At a glance
22ndof 70 Florida districts▼ 2
Better than 68% of Florida districts
5086 Canal St
Milton, FL 32570-2257
·(850) 983-5000·All Florida district rankings →
Statewide performance 2018–2026
2026: better than 68.6% of districts
41
Schools
29,621
Students
3
5-star schools
Top rankedGulf Breeze Elementary School78th of 2,240 Florida elementary schools
Biggest riser
Jay Elementary School up 175 spots statewide this year
Smallest classes
High Road 11.3 students per teacher
SchoolDigger ratings
5★
4★
3★
2★
1★
13 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)
Summary:

The Santa Rosa County School District in Florida serves 36 public schools, including elementary, middle, and high schools, and is ranked 22nd out of 70 districts in the state, earning a 3-star rating. The district is a study in contrasts, where a student's experience can vary dramatically based on location, with a clear divide between top-tier schools in the Gulf Breeze area and those facing significant challenges in other parts of the county.

The standout schools are concentrated in the "Gulf Breeze & Pace Corridor." Gulf Breeze Elementary School is the district's crown jewel, a 5-star school with 96% of 3rd graders proficient in math and the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (6.7%) among standard elementary schools. Oriole Beach Elementary School and Wallace Lake K-8 are also 5-star performers, with Wallace Lake showing remarkable improvement and near-perfect scores in advanced math. At the high school level, Gulf Breeze High School leads with a 97.8% graduation rate and low chronic absenteeism (17.1%), while Pace High School and Navarre High School provide strong, reliable education as 3 and 4-star schools. In contrast, Santa Rosa High School is the most struggling school with a 1-star rating, a 48.2% graduation rate, and 83.6% chronic absenteeism, while Learning Academy Of Santa Rosa has a 0-star rating and a 13.3% graduation rate.

Key metrics reveal that poverty is the strongest correlate of low performance, with schools like W. H. Rhodes Elementary School (83.4% free/reduced lunch, 1-star) and Bagdad Elementary School (69.7% poverty, 1-star) at the bottom, while Gulf Breeze Elementary (22.8% poverty, 5-star) is at the top. High spending does not guarantee high performance, as schools serving at-risk populations like High Road ($29,663 per student) spend far more than top performers like Gulf Breeze High ($8,203). Chronic absenteeism is a critical warning sign, with the most struggling schools having rates above 55%, while top schools stay well below the district average of 20.0%. Advanced math proficiency is a key differentiator, with top K-8 schools achieving near-perfect scores in Algebra 1 and Geometry, while struggling high schools show students entering without a solid math foundation.

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Ranking:
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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.





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