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Robert M. Paterson Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-6

65^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 97% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Robert M. Paterson Elementary in Orange Park, FL, is a high-performing public school serving 665 students in grades PK-6 within the Clay County School District, and it has earned a reputation as one of the top elementary schools in the state.

Paterson Elementary stands out for its exceptional and consistent academic performance, with proficiency rates ranging from 83% to 91% across all subjects in the most recent testing year. This consistency is a key differentiator from nearby schools like Orange Park Elementary, which, while also a top performer, shows more grade-level variability. The school has demonstrated a remarkable decade-long upward trajectory, moving from the 77th percentile in 2015-2016 to the 97th percentile in 2025-2026, ranking 65th out of 2,240 elementary schools statewide. This sustained improvement suggests strong leadership and effective teaching practices. Additionally, Paterson has a low chronic absenteeism rate of 13.1%, significantly lower than the district average of 26.7% and much lower than nearby schools like Grove Park Elementary (37.2%) and Montclair Elementary (28.1%), indicating high student engagement and a supportive environment.

Paterson also demonstrates efficient use of resources, with per-student spending of $11,318—moderate compared to peers like Montclair Elementary ($13,496) and Swimming Pen Creek Elementary ($13,418), both of which have lower academic performance. Its low student-teacher ratio of 12.1 is a key investment that likely contributes to its success. While the Clay district is ranked 17th out of 70 in Florida, Paterson performs at a level that rivals top schools in the state's highest-ranked districts, such as those in St. Johns County. For example, Paterson's test scores are generally higher than those at Cunningham Creek Elementary and Hickory Creek Elementary, making it a standout choice for families seeking elite academic outcomes in a supportive, efficient school environment.

665

Students ?

12.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,318

Per pupil spending ?

32.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5400 Pine Ave
Orange Park, FL 32003

(904) 336-2575

District: Clay

Students who attend Robert M. Paterson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Green Cove Springs Junior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.5%

Hispanic:

12.6%

Two or more races:

6.8%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 77th percentile in 2016 → 97th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Florida average (88% vs 62% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 3% of Florida elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 20 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school88%

District avg66%

Florida avg62%

65^th of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Top 3%▲ up 20 pts since 2016

From top 23% (2016) to top 3% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 29Elementary Schools in the Clay

17^th of 70Clay 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	93.3	65 of 2240	97.1%	★★★★★
2025	95.4	39 of 2258	98.3%	★★★★★
2024	96.3	30 of 2256	98.7%	★★★★★
2023	90.9	147 of 2240	93.4%	★★★★★
2022	88.7	217 of 2219	90.2%	★★★★★
2021	87.7	247 of 2247	89.0%	★★★★☆
2019	86.0	264 of 2182	87.9%	★★★★☆
2018	86.1	248 of 2118	88.3%	★★★★☆
2017	86.7	227 of 2112	89.3%	★★★★☆
2016	75.0	487 of 2087	76.7%	★★★★☆
2014	73.6	492 of 2064	76.2%	★★★★☆
2013	79.6	360 of 2029	82.3%	★★★★☆
2012	81.7	313 of 1984	84.2%	★★★★☆
2011	84.9	229 of 1985	88.5%	★★★★☆
2010	85.2	216 of 1919	88.7%	★★★★☆
2009	82.0	284 of 1847	84.6%	★★★★☆
2008	90.1	103 of 1789	94.2%	★★★★★
2007	86.5	182 of 1786	89.8%	★★★★☆
2006	88.9	147 of 1688	91.3%	★★★★★
2005	88.0	26 of 202	87.1%	★★★★☆
2004	84.5	36 of 199	81.9%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Math90%+27 vs state

English Language Arts88%+27 vs state

Science84%+24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Robert M. Paterson Elementary

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)	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 Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Robert M. Paterson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	5400 Pine Ave	Orange Park	32003	Clay County	Clay	No	No	No	No	(904) 336-2575	665	55	12.1	32.8%	469 (70.5%)	36 (5.4%)	84 (12.6%)	31 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (6.8%)	93.3	65^th of 2240 public elementary schools	97.1%		95.4	39^th of 2258 public elementary schools	98.3%	26	91.0	87.0	83.0	90.0	88.0	91.0	90.0	90.0	84.0	$11,318	$917	$10,401
Thunderbolt Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2020 Thunderbolt Rd	Fleming Island	32003	Clay County	Clay	No	No	No	No	(904) 336-3675	756	62	12.2	40.3%	478 (63.2%)	67 (8.9%)	107 (14.2%)	43 (5.7%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	56 (7.4%)	84.1	279^th of 2240 public elementary schools	87.5%		82.9	338^th of 2258 public elementary schools	85.0%	59	81.0	81.0	72.0	87.0	77.0	69.0	83.0	91.0	81.0	$11,502	$949	$10,553
Fleming Island Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	4425 Lakeshore Dr	Orange Park	32003	Clay County	Clay	No	No	No	No	(904) 336-1075	629	54	11.6	29.1%	441 (70.1%)	37 (5.9%)	86 (13.7%)	21 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	41 (6.5%)	88.4	173^rd of 2240 public elementary schools	92.3%		90.5	152^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	93.3%	21	86.0	72.0	76.0	91.0	90.0	86.0	80.0	92.0	76.0	$13,128	$738	$12,390
Swimming Pen Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1630 Woodpecker Ln	Middleburg	32068	Clay County	Clay	No	No	No	No	(904) 336-3475	496	39	12.7	57.7%	317 (63.9%)	46 (9.3%)	70 (14.1%)	8 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	51 (10.3%)	54	1043^rd of 2240 public elementary schools	53.4%		40.9	1334^th of 2258 public elementary schools	40.9%	291	79.0	67.0	48.0	63.0	61.0	65.0	45.0	80.0	66.0	$13,418	$1,097	$12,321
Hickory Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	235 Hickory Creek Trl	Saint Johns	32259	St. Johns County	St. Johns	No	No	No	No	(904) 547-7450	669	45	14.8	13.8%	453 (67.7%)	36 (5.4%)	95 (14.2%)	41 (6.1%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (6.1%)	83.9	288^th of 2240 public elementary schools	87.1%		92.3	92^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	95.9%	196	80.0	75.0	76.0		79.0	83.0	85.0		68.0	$10,903	$463	$10,439
Montclair Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2398 Moody Ave	Orange Park	32073	Clay County	Clay	No	No	No	No	(904) 336-1975	402	36	11.1	64.7%	185 (46.0%)	63 (15.7%)	104 (25.9%)	10 (2.5%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	35 (8.7%)	41.8	1353^rd of 2240 public elementary schools	39.6%		36.3	1467^th of 2258 public elementary schools	35.0%	114	67.0	55.0	54.0	69.0	48.0	23.0	50.0	76.0	56.0	$13,496	$1,379	$12,117
Lakeside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2752 Moody Ave	Orange Park	32073	Clay County	Clay	No	No	No	No	(904) 336-1675	726	54	13.4	62.1%	381 (52.5%)	107 (14.7%)	147 (20.2%)	13 (1.8%)	2 (0.3%)	9 (1.2%)	67 (9.2%)	55.6	998^th of 2240 public elementary schools	55.4%		44.1	1243^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	45.0%	245	59.0	57.0	51.0	75.0	66.0	63.0	64.0	91.0	58.0	$11,301	$890	$10,410
Doctors Inlet Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2634 County Road 220	Middleburg	32068	Clay County	Clay	No	No	No	No	(904) 336-0975	545	42	12.8	62.6%	297 (54.5%)	82 (15.0%)	112 (20.6%)	12 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	40 (7.3%)	59.7	881^st of 2240 public elementary schools	60.7%		47.8	1164^th of 2258 public elementary schools	48.4%	283	63.0	63.0	57.0	71.0	74.0	57.0	68.0	71.0	68.0	$11,051	$940	$10,112
Grove Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1643 Miller St	Orange Park	32073	Clay County	Clay	No	No	No	No	(904) 336-1275	445	33	13.4	77.1%	115 (25.8%)	183 (41.1%)	103 (23.1%)	7 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	35 (7.9%)	24.6	1803^rd of 2240 public elementary schools	19.5%		29.4	1664^th of 2258 public elementary schools	26.3%	139	40.0	48.0	48.0	61.0	49.0	53.0	40.0	53.0	40.0	$11,751	$1,640	$10,111
Orange Park Elementary School	Public	K-6	1401 Plainfield Ave	Orange Park	32073	Clay County	Clay	No	No	No	No	(904) 336-2275	489	32	15.2	35.2%	346 (70.8%)	19 (3.9%)	70 (14.3%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	46 (9.4%)	94.6	37^th of 2240 public elementary schools	98.3%		97	13^th of 2258 public elementary schools	99.4%	24	87.0	93.0	76.0	94.0	93.0	90.0	98.0	100.0	93.0	$9,608	$283	$9,325

Frequently Asked Questions about Robert M. Paterson Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Robert M. Paterson Elementary?

Students at Robert M. Paterson Elementary are 71% White, 13% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 5% African American, 5% Asian.

Is Robert M. Paterson Elementary a good school?

Yes! Robert M. Paterson Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 65^th of 2240 Florida elementary schools.

How many students attend Robert M. Paterson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 665 students attended Robert M. Paterson Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Robert M. Paterson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Robert M. Paterson Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Green Cove Springs Junior High School

What district is Robert M. Paterson Elementary in?

Clay

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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.