Golfview Elementary Magnet School

Golfview Elementary Magnet School in Rockledge, FL, serves 448 students from pre-kindergarten through 6th grade within the Brevard school district, but its academic performance has consistently ranked among the lowest in the state, currently sitting at the 6th percentile with a 0-star rating.

This school faces significant challenges that set it apart from nearby schools. While Golfview spends a relatively high $14,978 per student and maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.4:1, its test scores are dramatically lower than those of higher-performing neighbors. For example, Manatee Elementary School (a 5-star school just over 5 miles away) posts proficiency rates of 80-91% in English Language Arts and 78-97% in Math, while Golfview's rates are only 29-42% in ELA and 35-43% in Math. Similarly, Lewis Carroll Elementary School (a 4-star school) achieves 67-91% proficiency in ELA and 54-91% in Math. Chronic absenteeism is a major issue at Golfview, with 26.6% of students chronically absent compared to just 8.5% at Manatee and 15.1% at Lewis Carroll. The school also serves a high-poverty population, with 68.75% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to 20% at Manatee and 37% at Lewis Carroll.

Interestingly, Golfview is designated as a magnet school, which typically implies a specialized program designed to attract students from across the district, yet its performance is among the lowest in the area. There is a glimmer of hope in 6th grade, where students consistently outperform other grade levels (43% in Math and 42% in ELA). Even when compared to Saturn Elementary School, which has a similar poverty rate (73.51%) and ranking (17th percentile), Golfview still underperforms—for instance, in 5th grade Science, Saturn achieves 51% proficiency versus Golfview's 41%. This suggests that while poverty is a major factor, it is not the only one, and the school's resources are not being effectively deployed to overcome these challenges.