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Gulf Coast Charter Academy South

Public, Charter Grades K-8

2119^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 5% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Gulf Coast Charter Academy South is a K-8 charter school in Naples, FL, serving 681 students within the high-performing Collier district.

The most critical story about this school is its dramatic and consistent decline in academic performance over the past five years. Its state ranking has fallen from the 58th percentile in 2020-2021 to the 5th percentile in 2025-2026—a drop of 53 percentile points. This places it far below nearby schools like Lake Park Elementary (95th percentile) and Osceola Elementary (90th percentile), which have remained stable and high-performing. Even lower-performing neighbors like Golden Terrace Elementary (32nd percentile) and Avalon Elementary (37th percentile) are not experiencing such a steep freefall. Test scores are significantly below district and state averages in nearly every subject and grade, with math proficiency in 3rd grade at just 23% compared to the district's 72%. A notable exception is middle school ELA, where 7th and 8th grade proficiency (67%) is close to the district average and above the state average.

Funding appears to be a major factor. The school spends just $10,679 per student—the lowest among all nearby schools, compared to $17,300 at Lake Park Elementary and $20,528 at Poinciana Elementary. Despite this low spending, the student-teacher ratio is higher (17:1) than most peers, which typically range from 11.8:1 to 15.9:1. Chronic absenteeism has also risen sharply, from 0% in 2022-2023 to 16.8% in 2023-2024, though it remains below the state average. The combination of plummeting test scores, low funding, larger class sizes, and rising absenteeism suggests a school in need of urgent intervention, though its relative success in middle school ELA offers a potential foundation for improvement.

681

Students ?

17.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,679

Per pupil spending ?

37.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

215 Airport Pulling Rd N
Naples, FL 34104

(239) 784-1539

District: Collier

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.3%

African American:

21.9%

White:

17.5%

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Compare Gulf Coast Charter Academy South to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 45th percentile in 2016 → 5th in 2026

Worth a look

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

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 40 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school47%

District avg71%

Florida avg62%

Elementary school

2,119^th of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 5%▼ down 40 pts since 2016

From bottom 45% (2016) to bottom 5% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

716^th of 1,216

Florida public middle schools ?

Bottom 41%▼ down 33 pts since 2016

From top 26% (2016) to bottom 41% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

35^th of 35Elementary Schools in the Collier

13^th of 70Collier 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	11.3	2119 of 2240	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.9	2014 of 2258	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.1	1761 of 2256	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.2	1577 of 2240	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.6	1236 of 2219	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	57.2	939 of 2247	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.0	1393 of 2182	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.6	1332 of 2118	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	40.9	1262 of 2112	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	45.1	1141 of 2087	45.3%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	43.8	716 of 1216	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.3	531 of 1205	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.3	468 of 1196	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.0	523 of 1177	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.0	444 of 1148	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.9	470 of 1136	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.5	266 of 1099	75.8%	★★★★☆
2018	73.4	253 of 1035	75.6%	★★★★☆
2017	67.7	308 of 1031	70.1%	★★★★☆
2016	71.8	261 of 997	73.8%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Civics74%-3 vs state

Algebra 166%+3 vs state

English Language Arts46%-14 vs state

Science46%-11 vs state

Math38%-24 vs state

4.0

4 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★3

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, May 31, 2018

Wonderful school! My daughter is in Kindergarten and is going into to first grade next year. She has been taught what she needs to know to be successful in the coming year. She has talked about her hands on Stem activities they do in class, lessons she has learned and how loving all the staff have been. She especially feels loved and heard by the principal and the dean at GCCAS. Teachers communicated all year with me regarding her academic and social skills. I couldn't be happier with Gulf Coast Charter Academy! We will be staying for first grade and beyond. I highly recommend this school where parent concerns are heard! Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, November 1, 2017

The Middle School science teacher is a bully. She does nothing but complain about students. Close Quote

Schools Near Gulf Coast Charter Academy South

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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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Gulf Coast Charter Academy South	Public, Charter	K-8	215 Airport Pulling Rd N	Naples	34104	Collier County	Collier	Yes	No	No	No	(239) 784-1539	681	40	17.0	37.2%	119 (17.5%)	149 (21.9%)	390 (57.3%)	6 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	15 (2.2%)	11.3	2119^th of 2240 public elementary schools	5.4%		15.9	2014^th of 2258 public elementary schools	10.8%	105	36.0	32.0	38.0	41.0	67.0	67.0	23.0	37.0	41.0	52.0	42.0	35.0	38.0	53.0	66.0	74.0	$10,679	$170	$10,508
Shadowlawn Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2161 Shadowlawn Dr	Naples	34112	Collier County	Collier	No	No	No	Yes	(239) 377-8400	470	35	13.3	59.1%	66 (14.0%)	59 (12.6%)	326 (69.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.6%)	66.6	715^th of 2240 public elementary schools	68.1%		52.2	1068^th of 2258 public elementary schools	52.7%	353	72.0	58.0	60.0				75.0	88.0	73.0				57.0				$19,577	$1,446	$18,131
Poinciana Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2825 Airport Rd N	Naples	34105	Collier County	Collier	No	No	No	Yes	(239) 377-8100	468	35	13.2	68.6%	102 (21.8%)	30 (6.4%)	323 (69.0%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.9%)	59.4	897^th of 2240 public elementary schools	60.0%		61.9	830^th of 2258 public elementary schools	63.2%	67	66.0	54.0	68.0				60.0	65.0	72.0				66.0				$20,528	$1,432	$19,095
Lake Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1295 14th Ave N	Naples	34102	Collier County	Collier	No	No	No	No	(239) 377-7200	475	33	14.3	41.5%	271 (57.1%)	52 (10.9%)	123 (25.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.9%)	90.7	123^rd of 2240 public elementary schools	94.5%		91.6	117^th of 2258 public elementary schools	94.8%	6	84.0	78.0	86.0				76.0	88.0	96.0				91.0				$17,300	$769	$16,530
Bridgeprep Academy Collier	Public, Charter	K-8	3161 Santa Barbara Blvd	Naples	34116	Collier County	Collier	Yes	No	No	No	(239) 677-4211	261	12	21.7	53.3%	33 (12.6%)	37 (14.2%)	189 (72.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	32.5	1597^th of 2240 public elementary schools	28.7%		12.7	2092^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	7.4%	495	44.0	36.0	40.0	67.0	53.0	73.0	66.0	57.0	27.0	67.0	93.0	53.0	40.0	48.0	36.0	93.0	$11,290	$666	$10,624
Calusa Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4600 Santa Barbara Blvd	Naples	34104	Collier County	Collier	No	No	No	Yes	(239) 377-6400	670	50	13.3	51.3%	109 (16.3%)	159 (23.7%)	369 (55.1%)	10 (1.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.3%)	52.6	1083^rd of 2240 public elementary schools	51.7%		60.2	880^th of 2258 public elementary schools	61.0%	203	47.0	56.0	67.0				60.0	68.0	73.0				58.0				$17,747	$1,774	$15,974
Avalon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3300 Thomasson Dr	Naples	34112	Collier County	Collier	No	No	No	Yes	(239) 377-6200	363	23	15.9	58.7%	40 (11.0%)	46 (12.7%)	263 (72.5%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.0%)	39.8	1403^rd of 2240 public elementary schools	37.4%		34.7	1509^th of 2258 public elementary schools	33.2%	106	55.0	30.0	55.0				74.0	50.0	64.0				53.0				$17,876	$1,322	$16,554
Herbert Cambridge Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5055 20th Place SW	Naples	34116	Collier County	Collier	No	No	No	Yes	(239) 354-2259	283	23	12.3	53.0%	21 (7.4%)	44 (15.5%)	216 (76.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	53.6	1057^th of 2240 public elementary schools	52.8%		37.4	1432^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	36.6%	375	47.0	50.0	60.0				87.0	62.0	76.0				60.0				$18,738	$1,010	$17,729
Osceola Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5770 Osceola Trl	Naples	34109	Collier County	Collier	No	No	No	No	(239) 377-7800	572	40	14.2	47.4%	250 (43.7%)	23 (4.0%)	258 (45.1%)	10 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.2%)	86	233^rd of 2240 public elementary schools	89.6%		82	365^th of 2258 public elementary schools	83.8%	132	77.0	80.0	79.0				83.0	85.0	77.0				73.0				$14,458	$468	$13,989
Golden Terrace Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2711 44th Ter SW	Naples	34116	Collier County	Collier	No	No	No	Yes	(239) 377-7000	484	36	13.5	53.1%	34 (7.0%)	60 (12.4%)	387 (80.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	35.1	1521^st of 2240 public elementary schools	32.1%		31.3	1609^th of 2258 public elementary schools	28.7%	88	46.0	40.0	52.0				48.0	67.0	69.0				56.0				$20,095	$1,635	$18,460

Frequently Asked Questions about Gulf Coast Charter Academy South

What district is Gulf Coast Charter Academy South in?

Collier

What is the racial makeup of Gulf Coast Charter Academy South?

Students at Gulf Coast Charter Academy South are 57% Hispanic, 22% African American, 17% White, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Gulf Coast Charter Academy South?

In the 2024-25 school year, 681 students attended Gulf Coast Charter Academy South.

Is Gulf Coast Charter Academy South a good school?

Gulf Coast Charter Academy South ranks in the bottom 5.4% of Florida elementary schools.

Rate Gulf Coast Charter Academy South!

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Latest Florida data All new data »

2025–26 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataMar 20, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2025

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.