Hilliard Elementary School

Hilliard Elementary School in Hilliard, FL, serves 687 students in grades PK-5 and is part of the highly-rated Nassau County School District, which ranks 3rd out of 70 districts in Florida.

Hilliard Elementary stands out for its consistent academic excellence across all grades and subjects, outperforming nearby schools like Wildlight Elementary and Callahan Elementary School in nearly every category. For example, Hilliard’s 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders score 82%, 75%, and 73% in English Language Arts, respectively, compared to Wildlight’s 69%, 60%, and 73%. In math, Hilliard achieves a remarkably consistent 82-83% across all three grades, while other schools show more volatility. This strong performance is especially notable given that Hilliard serves a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students (53.57% eligible for free or reduced lunch) compared to Wildlight (30.31%) and Callahan Intermediate School (43%). The school’s ability to deliver top-tier results despite these challenges points to highly effective teaching and support systems.

The school’s primary challenge is a high chronic absenteeism rate of 30.4%, which is significantly higher than Wildlight (18.6%) and Yulee Primary School (21.1%). This creates a paradox: Hilliard achieves outstanding academic outcomes even with many students missing class, suggesting that those who attend receive exceptional instruction. If the school could reduce absenteeism to levels seen in more affluent parts of the district, its already strong test scores could improve further. While Hilliard’s state ranking has dipped slightly from a peak of 95th percentile in 2020-2021 to 88th percentile in 2025-2026, it remains a top-performing school with the potential to return to the top 5% of Florida elementary schools by addressing this key issue.