Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Waterleaf Elementary

Q: Is Waterleaf Elementary a good school?

Waterleaf Elementary ranks 585 th of 2242 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

585^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,242 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 74% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Waterleaf Elementary is a public school in Jacksonville, FL, serving 613 students in grades PK-5 and stands out as a strong, stable performer within the Duval County Public School District, which ranks in the bottom 23% of Florida districts. The school has consistently earned a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past four years, placing it in the top 26-30% of all elementary schools in the state.

Waterleaf excels in math and science, with proficiency rates that significantly outpace both district and state averages. For example, in the 2025-2026 school year, 78% of 5th graders were proficient in science, far exceeding the district average of 56%. This performance is on par with top-performing nearby schools like Abess Park Elementary (88%) and Alimacani Elementary (85%), and significantly better than charter schools like Duval Charter School At Coastal (42%). The school also offers a low student-teacher ratio of 12.7:1, which is much lower than many nearby schools, such as Kernan Trail Elementary (16.4:1) and Duval Charter at Coastal (20.4:1), suggesting students may receive more individualized attention.

While Waterleaf is a bright spot in the district, a key concern is its high chronic absenteeism rate, which reached 33.2% in 2023-2024. This is higher than several nearby schools, including Duval Charter at Coastal (12.3%) and Alimacani (29.6%), and could threaten future academic gains. The school also spends $14,440 per student, the highest among its comparison group, which likely supports its low student-teacher ratio and strong resources. Overall, Waterleaf offers a compelling combination of strong academics and a supportive learning environment, making it a highly attractive option for families in the area.

613

Students ?

12.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,440

Per pupil spending ?

37.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

450 Kernan Blvd N
Jacksonville, FL 32225

(904) 565-8000

District: Duval

Students who attend Waterleaf Elementary usually attend:

High:

Sandalwood High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

39.5%

African American:

21.2%

Hispanic:

19.7%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Waterleaf Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 64th percentile in 2016 → 74th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Florida average (71% vs 62% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2016

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Duval

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school71%

District avg56%

Florida avg62%

585^th of 2,242

Florida public elementary schools ?

Top 26%▲ up 10 pts since 2016

From top 36% (2016) to top 26% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

20^th of 118Elementary Schools in the Duval

54^th of 70Duval 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	71.7	585 of 2242	73.9%	★★★★☆
2025	77.6	456 of 2258	79.8%	★★★★☆
2024	71.3	614 of 2256	72.8%	★★★★☆
2023	72.5	574 of 2240	74.4%	★★★★☆
2022	67.6	674 of 2219	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.8	689 of 2247	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.8	655 of 2182	70.0%	★★★★☆
2018	73.1	538 of 2118	74.6%	★★★★☆
2017	73.6	539 of 2112	74.5%	★★★★☆
2016	63.3	750 of 2087	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	77.3	419 of 2064	79.7%	★★★★☆
2013	74.8	459 of 2029	77.4%	★★★★☆
2012	61.9	754 of 1984	62.0%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Science78%+18 vs state

Math74%+10 vs state

English Language Arts65%+5 vs state

2.7

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★1

1★1

Rate Waterleaf Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, October 12, 2016

This school is way over-crowded. A mom was bragging about using her parents address to get her child enrolled, even though it wasn't their assigned school, and the principle did nothing about it when she was told of the situation. Nice to know I'm paying taxes for her kids to go to school. There are several students who shouldn't be here. None of our teachers have their own plan just coordinated worksheets that everyone in the same grade level gets. The kids sit all day and they are only teaching to test. It was an awesome school but now it's turning ghetto. You can tell by the new students AND parents attitudes. They have special needs classes that have only about five students in each class which is how they bring down their student/teacher ratio. Don't be fooled! I will be looking into an alternative school for my child. Close Quote

by a parent
Sunday, October 2, 2016

I'd also like to add that the statistics on here are just wrong wrong wrong. My child was in VPK for the 2015-2016 school year and at the time there were well-over 700 students, my source is the principle. The student teacher ratio has gone way way up. There are 36, 36!!! students in my child's kindergarten class with two teachers. Other classes have 20 students to one teacher. Like I said before, they're letting in students who shouldn't be there and it looks like this will continue until the staff decides to put the childrens needs first instead of the money they get for each child. Close Quote

Schools Near Waterleaf Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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 Geometry (2026)	EOC Biology 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 Geometry End of Course	EOC Biology 1 End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Waterleaf Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	450 Kernan Blvd N	Jacksonville	32225	Duval County	Duval	No	No	No	No	(904) 565-8000	613	48	12.7	37.0%	242 (39.5%)	130 (21.2%)	121 (19.7%)	69 (11.3%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (7.8%)	71.7	585^th of 2242 public elementary schools	73.9%		77.6	456^th of 2258 public elementary schools	79.8%	129	67.0	63.0	66.0				70.0	79.0	74.0				78.0						$14,440	$1,759	$12,681
Sabal Palm Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1201 Kernan Blvd N	Jacksonville	32225	Duval County	Duval	No	No	No	No	(904) 221-7169	630	39	16.1	30.0%	344 (54.6%)	111 (17.6%)	83 (13.2%)	25 (4.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (10.3%)	66.1	726^th of 2242 public elementary schools	67.6%		71.9	585^th of 2258 public elementary schools	74.1%	141	69.0	53.0	61.0				82.0	75.0	67.0				70.0						$11,949	$725	$11,225
Abess Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	12731 Abess Blvd	Jacksonville	32225	Duval County	Duval	No	No	No	Yes	(904) 220-1260	509	36	14.1	44.2%	206 (40.5%)	120 (23.6%)	74 (14.5%)	37 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.2%)	66 (13.0%)	77.9	430^th of 2242 public elementary schools	80.8%		87.2	242^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	89.3%	188	61.0	69.0	76.0				72.0	79.0	85.0				88.0						$13,387	$1,520	$11,867
Global Leadership Academy Intercoastal	Public, Charter	K-8	13720 McCormick Rd	Jacksonville	32225	Duval County	Duval	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(904) 551-7104	433	35	12.3	45.5%	252 (58.2%)	30 (6.9%)	114 (26.3%)	14 (3.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.1%)	53.9	1049^th of 2242 public elementary schools	53.2%		50.3	1109^th of 2258 public elementary schools	50.9%	60	60.0	67.0	54.0	62.0	53.0	73.0	78.0	75.0	34.0	73.0	60.0	69.0	48.0	31.0	57.0	94.0	84.0	83.0	$11,248	$748	$10,500
Kernan Trail Elementary School	Public	K-5	2281 Kernan Blvd S	Jacksonville	32246	Duval County	Duval	No	No	No	No	(904) 220-1310	676	41	16.4	39.1%	249 (36.8%)	149 (22.0%)	167 (24.7%)	54 (8.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (8.1%)	73.8	533^rd of 2242 public elementary schools	76.2%		73.6	540^th of 2258 public elementary schools	76.1%	7	69.0	56.0	69.0				86.0	79.0	74.0				73.0						$11,014	$815	$10,199
Lone Star Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	10400 Lone Star Rd	Jacksonville	32225	Duval County	Duval	No	Yes	No	Yes	(904) 565-2711	318	18	17.6	51.6%	97 (30.5%)	121 (38.1%)	59 (18.6%)	6 (1.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (10.4%)	59.7	884^th of 2242 public elementary schools	60.6%		63.3	794^th of 2258 public elementary schools	64.8%	90	52.0	78.0	73.0				58.0	73.0	55.0				61.0						$10,567	$957	$9,611
Brookview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	10450 Theresa Dr	Jacksonville	32246	Duval County	Duval	No	No	No	Yes	(904) 565-2720	465	27	17.2	56.6%	147 (31.6%)	83 (17.8%)	138 (29.7%)	45 (9.7%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	47 (10.1%)	27.1	1745^th of 2242 public elementary schools	22.2%		38.3	1410^th of 2258 public elementary schools	37.6%	335	42.0	46.0	40.0				51.0	65.0	47.0				54.0						$10,241	$926	$9,316
River City Science Academy Intracoastal	Public, Charter	K-8	2002 San Pablo Rd S	Jacksonville	32224	Duval County	Duval	Yes	No	No	No	(904) 855-8010	814	46	17.6	45.7%	409 (50.2%)	112 (13.8%)	163 (20.0%)	37 (4.5%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (10.8%)	85	262^nd of 2242 public elementary schools	88.3%		85.6	279^th of 2258 public elementary schools	87.6%	17	73.0	76.0	77.0	82.0	78.0	82.0	86.0	94.0	82.0	78.0	88.0	59.0	78.0	65.0	100.0	100.0	96.0	89.0	$8,819	$96	$8,723
Alimacani Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2051 San Pablo Rd S	Jacksonville	32224	Duval County	Duval	No	No	No	No	(904) 221-7101	802	50	16.0	23.3%	491 (61.2%)	82 (10.2%)	157 (19.6%)	23 (2.9%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	44 (5.5%)	81.4	352^nd of 2242 public elementary schools	84.3%		78.9	428^th of 2258 public elementary schools	81.0%	76	71.0	65.0	79.0				79.0	75.0	88.0				85.0						$11,532	$991	$10,541
Duval Charter School At Coastal	Public, Charter	K-8	12800 Beach Blvd	Jacksonville	32226	Duval County	Duval	Yes	No	No	No	(904) 512-6757	1,082	53	20.4	66.3%	407 (37.6%)	187 (17.3%)	295 (27.3%)	102 (9.4%)	4 (0.4%)	8 (0.7%)	79 (7.3%)	37.5	1466^th of 2242 public elementary schools	34.6%		40.6	1338^th of 2258 public elementary schools	40.7%	128	65.0	53.0	48.0	65.0	71.0	53.0	67.0	66.0	22.0	42.0	66.0	49.0	42.0	53.0	97.0	100.0	94.0	78.0	$9,573	$389	$9,184

Frequently Asked Questions about Waterleaf Elementary

How many students attend Waterleaf Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 613 students attended Waterleaf Elementary.

Is Waterleaf Elementary a good school?

Waterleaf Elementary ranks 585^th of 2242 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Waterleaf Elementary?

Students at Waterleaf Elementary are 39% White, 21% African American, 20% Hispanic, 11% Asian, 8% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Waterleaf Elementary attend?

Students who attend Waterleaf Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Sandalwood High School

What district is Waterleaf Elementary in?

Duval

Rate Waterleaf Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

FLFlorida Elementary School Rankings

FLFlorida District Rankings

Schools in Jacksonville, FL

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Waterleaf Elementary!

Latest Florida data All new data »

2024–25 attendance dataAug 18, 2026

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

2024–25 school spending dataMar 20, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

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.