Loretto Elementary School

Loretto Elementary School is a large public school in Jacksonville, FL, serving over 1,000 students in grades PK-5 in the Mandarin area, and it is part of the Duval County Public School District.

Loretto Elementary stands out as a strong academic performer within Duval County, consistently ranking in the top 25% of all Florida elementary schools over the past decade and currently holding a 4-star rating. The school significantly outperforms many nearby Duval schools, such as Beauclerc Elementary School and San Jose Primary School, which rank in the bottom 10% of the state. However, it faces stiff competition from a nearby charter school, River City Science Academy At Mandarin, which achieves proficiency rates 10-20 percentage points higher in most subjects. Additionally, schools just a few miles away in the St. Johns County School District, like Durbin Creek Elementary School and Julington Creek Elementary School, rank in the top 10% of the state and outperform Loretto in nearly every academic metric. This highlights a stark contrast in performance between the two districts, even for schools located just a few miles apart.

One of Loretto's key advantages is its low chronic absenteeism rate of 24.7%, which is dramatically lower than nearby Duval schools like Crown Point Elementary School (47.2%) and Beauclerc (53.8%), and closer to the rates seen in high-performing St. Johns schools. The school also achieves strong results with relatively efficient spending, at $10,093 per student, compared to higher spending at schools like Greenland Pines Elementary School ($12,666). Math is a core strength, with 3rd and 4th graders scoring 77% and 76% proficient, respectively, well above the state average. While Loretto remains a strong school, its state ranking has shown a slight downward trend over the past five years, from the 87th percentile to the 72nd percentile, which is worth monitoring for families considering the school.