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John G Riley Elementary School

Public, Magnet Grades K-5
2032nd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools
Better than 9% of Florida elementary schools
Summary

John G Riley Elementary School is a K-5 public school in Tallahassee, FL, serving 608 students within the Leon County School District, where about 78% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school faces significant challenges, most notably a severe chronic absenteeism crisis: in the 2023-2024 school year, 60.2% of students were chronically absent—nearly double the district average (36.8%) and far higher than nearby schools like Sealey Elementary (18.9%) or Kate Sullivan Elementary (19.3%). This absenteeism rate is the highest among all nearby elementary schools and is strongly linked to the school's persistently low academic performance, which ranks in the 9th percentile statewide.

Despite these struggles, Riley shows a notable bright spot in early math: 59% of 3rd graders were proficient in math in the 2025-2026 school year, a competitive score that surpasses Sabal Palm Elementary (37%), Pineview Elementary (54%), and Ruediger Elementary (47%). However, this strength does not carry into later grades—4th-grade math proficiency drops to 39%, and 5th-grade English Language Arts proficiency is just 30%, the lowest among all nearby schools. This "two-school" dynamic suggests a potential curriculum gap or that the most chronically absent students are concentrated in upper grades, pulling down averages.

Interestingly, Riley spends more per student ($11,616) than higher-performing nearby schools like Springwood Elementary or the top-performing charter The School Of Arts & Sciences Centre ($8,183), indicating that financial resources alone are not the solution. The most similar school, Bond Elementary, has a similar poverty rate (82.8%) but significantly outperforms Riley in academics—for example, 56% of Bond's 5th graders were proficient in ELA versus Riley's 30%. The key difference appears to be Bond's slightly lower chronic absenteeism rate (56.3%), suggesting that even small improvements in attendance could dramatically change Riley's trajectory.

608
Students ?
16.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$11,616
Per pupil spending ?
78.5%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1400 Indiana St
       Tallahassee, FL  32304

(850) 488-5840

District: Leon


Students who attend John G Riley Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Griffin Middle School
High:    Amos P. Godby High School
Racial breakdown:

African American:
76.8%
Hispanic:
11.0%
Two or more races:
5.9%
more
 See top rated Florida elementary schools

 Compare John G Riley Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 14th percentile in 2016 → 9th in 2026
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Florida average (41% vs 62% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)
!High chronic absenteeism (60% vs 31% Florida)
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school41%
District avg61%
Florida avg62%
2,032nd of 2,240
Florida public elementary schools ?
Bottom 9%▼ down 4 pts since 2016
From bottom 14% (2016) to bottom 9% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
25th of 27Elementary Schools in the Leon
39th of 70Leon 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankFlorida percentileRating
202615.32032 of 22409.3%☆☆☆☆☆
202522.41834 of 225818.8%★☆☆☆☆
202413.52068 of 22568.3%☆☆☆☆☆
202319.21925 of 224014.1%★☆☆☆☆
202213.92025 of 22198.7%☆☆☆☆☆
20213.92229 of 22470.8%☆☆☆☆☆
20197.32104 of 21823.6%☆☆☆☆☆
201816.41863 of 211812.0%★☆☆☆☆
201711.41974 of 21126.5%☆☆☆☆☆
201617.31803 of 208713.6%★☆☆☆☆
201417.71808 of 206412.4%★☆☆☆☆
201316.31812 of 202910.7%★☆☆☆☆
201224.21576 of 198420.6%★☆☆☆☆
201125.61571 of 198520.9%★☆☆☆☆
201033.91362 of 191929.0%★☆☆☆☆
200932.41352 of 184726.8%★☆☆☆☆
200830.11342 of 178925.0%★☆☆☆☆
200722.21469 of 178617.7%★☆☆☆☆
200622.71363 of 168819.3%★☆☆☆☆
By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?
Math49%-16 vs state
English Language Arts35%-25 vs state
Science32%-28 vs state

5.0
1 rating · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a parent
Sunday, February 22, 2009

Open Quote I have seen a remarkable change for the better in the last two years. The previous principal did a wonderful job, however, the new principal has hired several new teachers who are doing an outstanding job. The students seem to have a new sense of direction and more confidence. Perhaps having a man in charge has made the difference?! Whatever the reason, it is great to see the children striving to be the best and get the highest scores on FCAT. Thanks for all the hard work from all the teachers and support staff. Close Quote





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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.





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