John M. Sexton Elementary School

John M. Sexton Elementary School in St. Petersburg, FL, is a public elementary school (PK-5) serving 355 students in the Pinellas district, and it has staged an impressive academic turnaround in recent years. After ranking in the bottom quartile of Florida elementary schools, Sexton has jumped to a 4-star rating and the 74th percentile statewide, a remarkable 44-percentile-point gain in just four years. This success is especially notable given that nearly 70% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school invests heavily in its students, spending $17,899 per pupil—over $6,000 more than nearby high-performing Shore Acres Elementary School—and maintaining a low student-teacher ratio of 13.1:1.

Sexton’s 3rd-grade students are standout performers, scoring 85% proficient in ELA and 81% in math, which outpaces the district and state by double digits and even surpasses top schools like Shore Acres (84% ELA) and North Shore Elementary School (71% ELA). However, a clear pattern emerges: performance tends to decline in 4th and 5th grades, with 5th-grade ELA dropping to 62% and math to 62%. This suggests the school has highly effective early-grade instruction or intervention programs, but may need to strengthen support for upper elementary students to maintain momentum.

Despite its academic gains, Sexton faces a persistent challenge with chronic absenteeism, which sits at 31.6%—higher than the district and state averages, and significantly worse than peers like Shore Acres (20.3%) and North Shore (24.4%). This rate is more in line with lower-performing schools such as Lealman Avenue Elementary School (45.1%). The school’s recent success is even more impressive given this hurdle, but addressing absenteeism will be critical for sustaining long-term growth and ensuring all students benefit from the strong foundation built in the early grades.