Hiawassee Elementary

Hiawassee Elementary in Orlando, FL, is a mid-sized school serving 619 students in a high-poverty community, and it is currently in the midst of a remarkable turnaround, climbing from a 1-star rating to a 2-star rating and improving its state ranking from the 16th to the 31st percentile over the past few years.

This school stands out from its neighbors for its consistent and broad-based academic improvement. While many nearby schools like Pine Hills Elementary and West Oaks Elementary have seen stagnant or declining scores, Hiawassee has improved in every subject and grade level since the 2022-2023 school year. For example, 5th-grade math proficiency has nearly doubled from 27% to 50%. A key driver of this success has been a dramatic reduction in chronic absenteeism, which dropped from 30.2% to 23.8%—far better than the Orange district average of 35.2% and lower than nearby schools like Orlo Vista Elementary (38.2%) and Mollie Ray Elementary (38.0%). Additionally, Hiawassee achieves these results while spending less per student ($12,315) than many peers, such as Pinewood Elementary ($14,812), suggesting efficient use of resources.

While Hiawassee still has work to do to reach district and state averages, its trajectory is a positive sign for families. A consistent strength is 4th-grade English Language Arts, where proficiency reached 56% in the latest year, tying the state average. However, 5th-grade science remains a challenge, with a 48% proficiency rate that lags 19 points behind the district. Overall, Hiawassee’s gradual, sustainable growth across all subjects makes it a more reliable choice for long-term improvement than some neighbors with volatile scores, like Mollie Ray, which posted high test scores but also has the highest chronic absenteeism rate in the area.