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O. J. Semmes Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

2070^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

O. J. Semmes Elementary School is a public school in Pensacola, FL, serving 344 students in grades PK-5 within the Escambia County School District, where over 86% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school has faced significant challenges, consistently ranking in the bottom 10% of Florida elementary schools for the past five years and earning a 0-star rating from Schooldigger for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years.

The most critical issue at O. J. Semmes is a severe chronic absenteeism crisis. In the 2023-2024 school year, 62.3% of students were chronically absent—nearly four times the district average of 33.5% and a staggering 7.3 times higher than the nearby high-performing Cordova Park Elementary School (17.0% absenteeism). This attendance problem is deeply connected to the school's academic struggles. For example, 5th grade science proficiency was just 19% compared to 60% statewide, and 4th grade ELA proficiency was 26% versus 60% statewide. Interestingly, the school spends significantly more per student ($14,099) than higher-performing neighbors like Cordova Park Elementary ($10,305) and A. K. Suter Elementary ($11,618), yet this higher spending has not translated into academic success.

Despite these challenges, there is a glimmer of hope in recent data. The school's state ranking improved from the 2nd percentile in 2024-2025 to the 8th percentile in 2025-2026, and test scores showed notable year-over-year improvements. For instance, 3rd grade ELA jumped from 24% to 46% proficient, and 4th grade math increased from 24% to 44% proficient. These gains suggest that recent interventions may be starting to take effect. The key to sustained progress will be addressing the chronic absenteeism crisis, which remains the most significant barrier to student success at O. J. Semmes.

344

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,099

Per pupil spending ?

86.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1250 E Texar Dr
Pensacola, FL 32503

(850) 595-6975

District: Escambia

Students who attend O. J. Semmes Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	J. H. Workman Middle School
High:	Washington Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

75.0%

White:

9.9%

Two or more races:

7.6%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 15th percentile in 2016 → 8th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (38% vs 62% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (62% vs 31% Florida)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg59%

Florida avg62%

2,070^th of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 15% (2016) to bottom 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

29^th of 35Elementary Schools in the Escambia

51^st of 70Escambia 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	13.5	2070 of 2240	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.3	2217 of 2258	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.6	2097 of 2256	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.8	2134 of 2240	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.6	2089 of 2219	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.6	2111 of 2247	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.8	1920 of 2182	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.1	1964 of 2118	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	12.4	1958 of 2112	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	18.5	1777 of 2087	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	5.1	2027 of 2064	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	5.6	1993 of 2029	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	15.4	1765 of 1984	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	16.1	1765 of 1985	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	5.6	1862 of 1919	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	3.7	1816 of 1847	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	12.5	1651 of 1789	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	3.2	1757 of 1786	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	4.0	1654 of 1688	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Math46%-18 vs state

English Language Arts36%-24 vs state

Science19%-41 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Saturday, April 21, 2012

My son has went to 3 elem school's and this is the worse by far. Close Quote

Schools Near O. J. Semmes Elementary School

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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)	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
O. J. Semmes Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1250 E Texar Dr	Pensacola	32503	Escambia County	Escambia	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 595-6975	344	22	15.6	86.3%	34 (9.9%)	258 (75.0%)	23 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (7.6%)	13.5	2070^th of 2240 public elementary schools	7.6%		5.3	2217^th of 2258 public elementary schools	1.8%	147	46.0	26.0	32.0		56.0	44.0	35.0		19.0	$14,099	$2,032	$12,067
Cordova Park Elementary School	Public	K-6	2250 Semur Rd	Pensacola	32503	Escambia County	Escambia	No	No	No	No	(850) 595-6830	596	38	15.6	40.8%	375 (62.9%)	122 (20.5%)	51 (8.6%)	9 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (6.5%)	65.3	745^th of 2240 public elementary schools	66.7%		81.7	376^th of 2258 public elementary schools	83.3%	369	73.0	63.0	62.0	56.0	75.0	71.0	62.0	70.0	72.0	$10,305	$565	$9,741
N. B. Cook Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	1310 N 12th Ave	Pensacola	32503	Escambia County	Escambia	No	Yes	No	No	(850) 595-6826	530	34	15.5	42.6%	249 (47.0%)	148 (27.9%)	59 (11.1%)	22 (4.2%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	49 (9.2%)	87.6	195^th of 2240 public elementary schools	91.3%		91.2	128^th of 2258 public elementary schools	94.3%	67	84.0	72.0	78.0		87.0	76.0	88.0		84.0	$11,037	$726	$10,312
Brentwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4820 N Palafox St	Pensacola	32505	Escambia County	Escambia	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 595-6800	390	26	15.0	77.7%	98 (25.1%)	220 (56.4%)	39 (10.0%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	28 (7.2%)	12.7	2086^th of 2240 public elementary schools	6.9%		15.9	2013^th of 2258 public elementary schools	10.9%	73	37.0	30.0	43.0		50.0	34.0	43.0		43.0	$11,524	$1,744	$9,781
A. K. Suter Elementary School	Public	K-5	501 Pickens Ave	Pensacola	32503	Escambia County	Escambia	No	No	No	No	(850) 595-6810	500	29	17.2	48.4%	287 (57.4%)	127 (25.4%)	34 (6.8%)	18 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (6.8%)	78.2	425^th of 2240 public elementary schools	81.0%		76.9	477^th of 2258 public elementary schools	78.9%	52	74.0	74.0	67.0		81.0	77.0	72.0		70.0	$11,618	$1,191	$10,426
C. A. Weis Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2701 N Q St	Pensacola	32505	Escambia County	Escambia	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 595-6888	538	31	17.3	89.4%	45 (8.4%)	420 (78.1%)	28 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	44 (8.2%)	7	2184^th of 2240 public elementary schools	2.5%		10.3	2143^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	5.1%	41	37.0	38.0	21.0		40.0	33.0	26.0		37.0	$11,578	$1,989	$9,588
Reinhardt Holm Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6101 Lanier Dr	Pensacola	32504	Escambia County	Escambia	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 494-5610	480	32	15.0	74.4%	101 (21.0%)	298 (62.1%)	40 (8.3%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (7.5%)	32.4	1605^th of 2240 public elementary schools	28.3%		35.5	1486^th of 2258 public elementary schools	34.2%	119	44.0	45.0	42.0		62.0	60.0	51.0		60.0	$12,613	$1,821	$10,792
Coastal Connections Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	K-5	186 N Palafox St	Pensacola	32502	Escambia County	Santa Rosa	Yes	No	Yes	No	(850) 359-1545	261	5	52.2	3.8%	109 (41.8%)	42 (16.1%)	77 (29.5%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	28 (10.7%)								(n/a)										$7,050	$00	$7,050
Montclair Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	820 Massachusetts Ave	Pensacola	32505	Escambia County	Escambia	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 595-6969	363	25	14.5	83.7%	22 (6.1%)	285 (78.5%)	28 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	26 (7.2%)	38.2	1448^th of 2240 public elementary schools	35.4%		26.8	1730^th of 2258 public elementary schools	23.4%	282	46.0	52.0	48.0		65.0	69.0	61.0		44.0	$12,862	$1,987	$10,874
Oakcrest Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1820 Hollywood Ave	Pensacola	32505	Escambia County	Escambia	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 595-6980	527	33	15.9	56.7%	53 (10.1%)	222 (42.1%)	215 (40.8%)	7 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.1%)	19 (3.6%)	20.5	1913^th of 2240 public elementary schools	14.6%		13.1	2078^th of 2258 public elementary schools	8.0%	165	22.0	32.0	34.0		46.0	54.0	67.0		52.0	$10,976	$1,063	$9,913

Frequently Asked Questions about O. J. Semmes Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of O. J. Semmes Elementary School?

Students at O. J. Semmes Elementary School are 75% African American, 10% White, 8% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic.

Is O. J. Semmes Elementary School a good school?

O. J. Semmes Elementary School ranks in the bottom 7.6% of Florida elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of O. J. Semmes Elementary School attend?

Students who attend O. J. Semmes Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : J. H. Workman Middle School
High : Washington Senior High School

What district is O. J. Semmes Elementary School in?

Escambia

How many students attend O. J. Semmes Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 344 students attended O. J. Semmes Elementary School.

Rate O. J. Semmes Elementary School!

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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.