Deerwood Elementary School

Deerwood Elementary School in Kissimmee, FL, is a small PK-5 public school in the Osceola County School District, serving 422 students in a high-poverty community where nearly three-quarters of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

While Deerwood has historically ranked in the bottom 20% of Florida elementary schools, it is showing signs of improvement, moving from the 13th percentile to the 21st percentile in recent years. The school’s biggest challenge is an alarmingly high chronic absenteeism rate of 41.6%, which is significantly worse than the state average and far higher than nearby schools like Sunrise Elementary School (29.6%) and Bellalago Charter Academy (23.7%). This attendance issue appears to be the primary factor holding the school back, as it negates a key advantage: Deerwood has the best student-teacher ratio (12.7:1) of any nearby school, including higher-performing Reedy Creek Elementary School (13.9:1).

Despite the overall low ranking, there is a notable bright spot in 4th grade math, where 58% of students scored proficient—outperforming the district average and even surpassing higher-ranked schools like Bellalago Charter Academy (47%) and Mater Brighton Lakes (42%). This suggests that a specific teacher or instructional approach is making a real difference. However, the school spends less per student ($14,353) than other traditional public schools in the area, such as Reedy Creek Elementary ($15,999), which serves a similar demographic but achieves much better results. For parents, the key takeaway is that Deerwood has the potential for growth, but addressing chronic absenteeism will be critical to unlocking the benefits of its small class sizes and turning around its academic performance.