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Richard L. Sanders School

Q: Is Richard L. Sanders School a good school?

Richard L. Sanders School ranks in the bottom 1.6% of Florida alternative schools.

Q: How many students attend Richard L. Sanders School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 160 students attended Richard L. Sanders School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Richard L. Sanders School?

Students at Richard L. Sanders School are 52% African American, 36% White, 8% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

Public, Alternative Grades K-12

1196^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,216 Florida Alternative Schools

Better than 2% of Florida alternative schools

Summary

Richard L. Sanders School in Pinellas Park, FL, is a small alternative school serving 160 students from Kindergarten through 12th grade within the Pinellas County school district, a 4-star district ranked 15th out of 70 in Florida.

This school stands out for its exceptionally high investment in students, spending $42,734 per student—over 5.7 times more than the Pinellas Virtual Franchise—and maintaining a very low student-to-teacher ratio of 5.1:1, far lower than nearby Pinellas High Innovation (10.2:1). However, academic proficiency rates are critically low, with 0% of students proficient in Algebra 1 and 6th Grade ELA in the 2025-2026 school year, compared to district averages of 64%. A major factor is chronic absenteeism, which affects 63.1% of students—more than double the district and state averages. This rate has remained above 60% for five years, making it a key barrier to learning. The school serves a very high-needs population, with 77.5% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

Despite these challenges, there is a glimmer of hope: 25% of 9th graders were proficient in English Language Arts in the 2025-2026 school year, the highest proficiency rate for any subject or grade level at the school in recent years. This suggests targeted interventions may be showing relative success with this cohort. The contrast with the Pinellas Virtual Franchise, which has a 1.96% free/reduced lunch rate and 91% Algebra 1 proficiency, highlights that the challenges at Richard L. Sanders are concentrated in its specific student population, likely serving students with significant behavioral, emotional, or academic needs. The school's graduation rate data is sparse, with only an 18.2% rate reported for 2020-2021, indicating a focus on non-traditional pathways or high student transience.

160

Students ?

5.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$42,734

Per pupil spending ?

77.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5025 76th Ave N
Pinellas Park, FL 33781

(727) 547-7728

District: Pinellas

Racial breakdown:

African American:

51.9%

White:

36.3%

Hispanic:

8.1%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Richard L. Sanders School to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — <1st percentile in 2010 → 8th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2010

✓Small classes — about 5 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (10% vs 63% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (63% vs 31% Florida)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school10%

District avg65%

Florida avg63%

Middle school

1,196^th of 1,216

Florida public middle schools ?

Bottom 2%▲ up 1 pts since 2024

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

770^th of 838

Florida public high schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 3 pts since 2022

See the entire ranking list of Florida High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Alternative Schools in the Pinellas

15^th of 70Pinellas 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2010	0.1	1918 of 1919	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	0.8	1837 of 1847	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	1.4	1774 of 1789	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	1.2	1779 of 1786	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	1.1	1685 of 1688	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	1.7	1196 of 1216	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	2.0	1197 of 1205	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.0	1188 of 1196	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	0.4	839 of 839	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	2.4	758 of 780	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	2.0	724 of 740	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	1.2	731 of 736	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	6.2	620 of 675	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	2.9	577 of 593	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	3.3	770 of 838	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	1.5	825 of 844	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.7	691 of 774	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	4.1	635 of 687	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	23.2	507 of 648	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	1.1	620 of 620	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	4.9	540 of 577	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	4.8	531 of 563	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

US History27%-47 vs state

Geometry18%-38 vs state

Biology 113%-61 vs state

Civics12%-65 vs state

English Language Arts10%-51 vs state

Math9%-49 vs state

Science6%-46 vs state

Algebra 10%-63 vs state

★

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Schools Near Richard L. Sanders 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 ()				Ranking ()				FAST English Language Arts (2026)						FAST Math (2026)				Statewide Science Science (2026)		EOC Algebra 1 (2026)	EOC Geometry (2026)	EOC Biology 1 (2026)	EOC US History (2026)	EOC Civics (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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 9th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 10th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Biology 1 End of Course	EOC US History End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Richard L. Sanders School	Public, Alternative	K-12	5025 76th Ave N	Pinellas Park	33781	Pinellas County	Pinellas	No	No	No	Yes	(727) 547-7728	160	31	5.1	77.5%	58 (36.3%)	83 (51.9%)	13 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.8%)								(n/a)		0.0	4.0	11.0	25.0	6.0		5.0	13.0	10.0		6.0	0.0	18.0	13.0	27.0	12.0	$42,734	$5,550	$37,186
Nina Harris Ese Center	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	6000 70th Ave N	Pinellas Park	33781	Pinellas County	Pinellas	No	No	No	No	(727) 547-7850	160	23	6.9	41.3%	81 (50.6%)	34 (21.3%)	32 (20.0%)	7 (4.4%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.1%)								(n/a)																		$48,311	$10,610	$37,703
Hospital/Homebound	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	8570 66th St N	Pinellas Park	33781	Pinellas County	Pinellas	No	No	No	No	(727) 462-1515	61	0		4.9%	29 (47.5%)	24 (39.3%)	5 (8.2%)	1 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.3%)								(n/a)
Ese Countywide	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	6698 68th Ave N	Pinellas Park	33781	Pinellas County	Pinellas	No	No	No	No	(727) 547-5900	206	11	18.7	1.5%	109 (52.9%)	49 (23.8%)	30 (14.6%)	12 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	5 (2.4%)								(n/a)
Pinellas Virtual Instruction Program	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	14405 49th St N	Clearwater	33762	Pinellas County	Pinellas	No	No	Yes	No	(727) 588-6304	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Pinellas Virtual K-12	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	14405 49th St N	Clearwater	33762	Pinellas County	Pinellas	No	No	Yes	No	(727) 588-6448	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Pinellas Virtual Franchise	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	14405 49th St N	Clearwater	33762	Pinellas County	Pinellas	No	No	Yes	No	(727) 588-6448	153	18	8.5	2.0%	91 (59.5%)	13 (8.5%)	27 (17.6%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (13.7%)								(n/a)				69.0	75.0	82.0				54.0		75.0	71.0	50.0	80.0	84.0		$7,458	$179	$7,279
Dropout Prevention School	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	301 4th St SW	Largo	33770	Pinellas County	Pinellas	No	No	No	No	(727) 588-6069	395	0		47.1%	173 (43.8%)	128 (32.4%)	79 (20.0%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.0%)								(n/a)	14.0					73.0	0.0				14.0							$11,139	$736	$10,403
Pinellas Juvenile Det Center	Public, Alternative	K-12	301 4th St SW	Largo	33770	Pinellas County	Pinellas	No	No	No	No	(727) 588-6069	55	0		41.8%	19 (34.5%)	31 (56.4%)	3 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.6%)								(n/a)
Paul B. Stephens Ese Center	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	2935 County Road 193	Clearwater	33759	Pinellas County	Pinellas	No	No	No	No	(727) 725-7982	137	23	5.9	37.2%	86 (62.8%)	13 (9.5%)	28 (20.4%)	2 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.8%)								(n/a)																		$42,062	$6,841	$35,222

Frequently Asked Questions about Richard L. Sanders School

How many students attend Richard L. Sanders School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 160 students attended Richard L. Sanders School.

Is Richard L. Sanders School a good school?

Richard L. Sanders School ranks in the bottom 1.6% of Florida alternative schools.

What district is Richard L. Sanders School in?

Pinellas

What is the racial makeup of Richard L. Sanders School?

Students at Richard L. Sanders School are 52% African American, 36% White, 8% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

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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.