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Alachua Elementary School

Public Grades 3-5

1783^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 20% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Alachua Elementary School in Alachua, FL, serves 323 students in grades 3-5 and is part of the Alachua district, which ranks in the 29th percentile statewide. The school has faced significant challenges, including a 1-star rating and a state percentile rank of 20th for the 2025-2026 school year, placing it in the bottom 20-25% of Florida elementary schools over the past decade. One of the most pressing issues is chronic absenteeism, which affected 33.8% of students in 2023-2024—a rate that is not only higher than the district and state averages but also far exceeds every nearby school. For comparison, Alachua Learning Academy Elementary, a charter school just 2.13 miles away, has a chronic absenteeism rate of only 11.5% despite serving a similar student population.

Despite spending $16,145 per student—the highest among comparable schools in the area—Alachua Elementary's academic results lag behind its neighbors. Nearby schools like Hidden Oak Elementary School and Meadowbrook Elementary School spend significantly less per student yet achieve much higher state rankings. The school's unique grade configuration (serving only grades 3-5) means it receives students from W. W. Irby Elementary School, which also struggles with high chronic absenteeism and economic disadvantage, suggesting that challenges begin before students even arrive at Alachua Elementary.

There is one bright spot: 5th-grade math proficiency jumped to 61% in 2025-2026, surpassing the district average and nearly matching the state average. This represents a remarkable improvement from 40% the previous year and 25% the year before, indicating that targeted interventions in this subject are working. However, the school's overall performance has been on a downward trend since 2020-2021, and chronic absenteeism has tripled since before the pandemic. The stark contrast with Alachua Learning Academy Elementary, which achieves an 89th percentile ranking with half the per-student spending, suggests that school culture and engagement—not just demographics—are key factors driving these outcomes.

323

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

60.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13800 NW 152nd Pl
Alachua, FL 32615

(386) 462-1841

District: Alachua

Students who attend Alachua Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	A. L. Mebane Middle School
High:	Santa Fe High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

39.9%

African American:

36.5%

Hispanic:

16.7%

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Compare Alachua Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 30th percentile in 2016 → 20th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (47% vs 62% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school47%

District avg56%

Florida avg62%

1,783^rd of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 30% (2016) to bottom 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

20^th of 28Elementary Schools in the Alachua

50^th of 70Alachua 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
2026	25.3	1783 of 2240	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.6	1766 of 2258	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.4	1997 of 2256	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.2	1766 of 2240	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.0	1881 of 2219	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.8	1344 of 2247	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.7	1668 of 2182	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.7	1928 of 2118	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	22.9	1697 of 2112	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	31.6	1468 of 2087	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	26.5	1582 of 2064	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	37.2	1302 of 2029	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	32.4	1380 of 1984	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	41.2	1243 of 1985	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	63.7	741 of 1919	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	44.7	1085 of 1847	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	34.8	1247 of 1789	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	45.2	1037 of 1786	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	35.4	1133 of 1688	32.9%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Science51%-9 vs state

Math47%-18 vs state

English Language Arts46%-14 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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1★0

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Sunday, August 15, 2021

The teachers and administration go above and beyond to give the kids exactly what they need and deserve! Growth is happening every year! Close Quote

Schools Near Alachua Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				FAST English Language Arts (2026)						FAST Math (2026)						Statewide Science Science (2026)		EOC Algebra 1 (2026)	EOC Civics (2026)	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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Total
Alachua Elementary School	Public	3-5	13800 NW 152nd Pl	Alachua	32615	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 462-1841	323	24	13.6	60.4%	129 (39.9%)	118 (36.5%)	54 (16.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.5%)	25.3	1783^rd of 2240 public elementary schools	20.4%		25.6	1766^th of 2258 public elementary schools	21.8%	17	39.0	51.0	48.0				32.0	46.0	61.0				51.0
W. W. Irby Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	13505 NW 140th St	Alachua	32615	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 462-5002	372	26	14.1	58.9%	168 (45.2%)	126 (33.9%)	53 (14.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	23 (6.2%)								(n/a)
Alachua Learning Academy Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	11100 W State Road 235	Alachua	32615	Alachua County	Alachua	Yes	No	No	Yes	(386) 418-2080	108	6	18.0	42.6%	60 (55.6%)	3 (2.8%)	31 (28.7%)	4 (3.7%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (8.3%)	85.5	249^th of 2240 public elementary schools	88.9%		88.2	223^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	90.1%	26	83.0	68.0	88.0				72.0	95.0	81.0				81.0
High Springs Community School	Public	PK, KG-8	1015 N Main St	High Springs	32643	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	No	No	(386) 454-1958	902	51	17.5	40.9%	605 (67.1%)	93 (10.3%)	123 (13.6%)	12 (1.3%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	65 (7.2%)	67.3	699^th of 2240 public elementary schools	68.8%		69.9	643^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	71.5%	56	71.0	66.0	65.0	66.0	70.0	68.0	73.0	65.0	63.0	85.0	84.0	50.0	74.0	56.0	88.0	86.0
Meadowbrook Elementary School	Public	K-5	11525 NW 39th Ave	Gainesville	32606	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	No	No	(352) 333-2828	791	53	14.9	33.8%	394 (49.8%)	143 (18.1%)	124 (15.7%)	68 (8.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	60 (7.6%)	69.2	649^th of 2240 public elementary schools	71.0%		71.1	607^th of 2258 public elementary schools	73.1%	42	64.0	71.0	68.0				70.0	77.0	65.0				69.0
William S. Talbot Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5701 NW 43rd St	Gainesville	32653	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	No	No	(352) 955-6716	573	39	14.8	34.0%	286 (49.9%)	104 (18.2%)	79 (13.8%)	34 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	69 (12.0%)	80.8	369^th of 2240 public elementary schools	83.5%		75.1	513^th of 2258 public elementary schools	77.3%	144	75.0	74.0	74.0				65.0	87.0	77.0				83.0
Hidden Oak Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2100 Fort Clarke Blvd	Gainesville	32606	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	No	No	(352) 333-2801	694	46	15.0	35.0%	309 (44.5%)	144 (20.7%)	127 (18.3%)	65 (9.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	47 (6.8%)	73.4	543^rd of 2240 public elementary schools	75.8%		75.4	508^th of 2258 public elementary schools	77.5%	35	78.0	72.0	69.0				66.0	68.0	77.0				71.0
Healthy Learning Academy Charter School	Public, Charter	K-5	13505 West Newberry Rd	Newberry	32669	Alachua County	Alachua	Yes	No	No	No	(352) 372-2279	107	5	23.4	10.3%	73 (68.2%)	8 (7.5%)	13 (12.1%)	4 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	8 (7.5%)	77.6	440^th of 2240 public elementary schools	80.4%		67.5	706^th of 2258 public elementary schools	68.7%	266	81.0	83.0	85.0				75.0	78.0	60.0				65.0
C. W. Norton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2200 NW 45th Ave	Gainesville	32605	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 955-6765	540	40	13.5	44.4%	234 (43.3%)	140 (25.9%)	99 (18.3%)	21 (3.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (8.3%)	43.3	1314^th of 2240 public elementary schools	41.3%		42.4	1290^th of 2258 public elementary schools	42.9%	24	63.0	55.0	59.0				56.0	53.0	47.0				68.0
Glen Springs Elementary School	Public	K-5	2826 NW 31st Ave	Gainesville	32605	Alachua County	Alachua	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 955-6708	429	29	14.7	38.2%	198 (46.2%)	111 (25.9%)	59 (13.8%)	18 (4.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (9.8%)	51.5	1101^st of 2240 public elementary schools	50.8%		56.3	966^th of 2258 public elementary schools	57.2%	135	76.0	61.0	65.0				58.0	56.0	46.0				64.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Alachua Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Alachua Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Alachua Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : A. L. Mebane Middle School
High : Santa Fe High School

Is Alachua Elementary School a good school?

Alachua Elementary School ranks in the bottom 20.4% of Florida elementary schools.

What district is Alachua Elementary School in?

Alachua

What is the racial makeup of Alachua Elementary School?

Students at Alachua Elementary School are 40% White, 37% African American, 17% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races.

How many students attend Alachua Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 323 students attended Alachua Elementary School.

Rate Alachua 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.