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Kelley Smith Elementary School

Q: Is Kelley Smith Elementary School a good school?

Kelley Smith Elementary School ranks 1513 th of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

1513^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 33% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Kelley Smith Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Palatka, Florida, serving grades K-6 with a total enrollment of 752 students. The school is part of the Putnam District, which is ranked 58 out of 67 districts in Florida and is rated 1 star out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Kelley Smith Elementary School faces several challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 30.9% to 57.5% over the past few years, which are significantly higher than the state average. The school's test scores are generally below the state and district averages across various subjects and grade levels, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math lower than the state and district averages in the 2024-2025 school year. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 54.32% to 62.63% over the past few years, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

When compared to nearby schools in the Putnam District, Kelley Smith Elementary School generally performs worse on key metrics such as test scores, chronic absenteeism, and free and reduced lunch rates. For example, The Children's Reading Center, a public charter school located just 0.85 miles away, significantly outperforms Kelley Smith Elementary School on these measures. Additionally, Kelley Smith Elementary School's performance, as measured by its statewide ranking and SchoolDigger star rating, has declined over the past several years, dropping from a ranking of 1107 out of 2064 Florida elementary schools in 2013-2014 to a ranking of 1513 out of 2258 in 2024-2025, with a consistent 1 or 2-star rating.

776

Students ?

19.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,475

Per pupil spending ?

47.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

141 Kelley Smith School Rd
Palatka, FL 32177

(386) 329-0568

District: Putnam

Students who attend Kelley Smith Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Palatka Junior - Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

58.0%

African American:

31.1%

Hispanic:

5.9%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Kelley Smith Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 46th percentile in 2014 → 33rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (50% vs 58% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (56% vs 31% Florida)

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school50%

District avg46%

Florida avg58%

1,513^th of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 33%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 24% (2016) to bottom 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 9Elementary Schools in the Putnam

58^th of 67Putnam 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2025	34.6	1513 of 2258	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.0	1138 of 2256	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.8	996 of 2240	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.5	1210 of 2219	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	59.3	877 of 2247	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	18.2	1883 of 2182	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.6	1795 of 2118	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.7	1706 of 2112	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	27.1	1576 of 2087	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	46.1	1107 of 2064	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	37.3	1293 of 2029	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	55.9	883 of 1984	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	67.1	674 of 1985	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	70.0	573 of 1919	70.1%	★★★★☆
2009	83.4	250 of 1847	86.5%	★★★★☆
2008	82.3	264 of 1789	85.2%	★★★★☆
2007	82.8	268 of 1786	85.0%	★★★★☆
2006	64.3	615 of 1688	63.6%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

Math54%-6 vs state

English Language Arts48%-10 vs state

Science39%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Kelley Smith Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				FAST English Language Arts (2025)				FAST Math (2025)				Statewide Science Science (2025)	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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Kelley Smith Elementary School	Public	K-6	141 Kelley Smith School Rd	Palatka	32177	Putnam County	Putnam	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 329-0568	776	40	19.5	47.7%	450 (58.0%)	241 (31.1%)	46 (5.9%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (4.5%)	34.6	1513^th of 2258 public elementary schools	33.0%		48	1138^th of 2256 public elementary schools	49.6%	375	44.0	44.0	43.0	65.0	41.0	53.0	62.0	67.0	39.0	$10,475	$1,564	$8,912
The Children's Reading Center	Public, Charter	K-6	7901 Saint Johns Ave	Palatka	32177	Putnam County	Putnam	Yes	No	No	Yes	(386) 326-2762	275	0	23.6	37.8%	165 (60.0%)	64 (23.3%)	23 (8.4%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.3%)	90	166^th of 2258 public elementary schools	92.6%		84.5	307^th of 2256 public elementary schools	86.4%	141	75.0	74.0	79.0	88.0	89.0	76.0	85.0	91.0	88.0	$10,021	$756	$9,265
William D. Moseley Elementary School	Public	K-6	1100 Husson Ave	Palatka	32177	Putnam County	Putnam	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 329-0562	558	30	18.6	65.2%	141 (25.3%)	306 (54.8%)	74 (13.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.5%)	14.4	2051^st of 2258 public elementary schools	9.2%		13.1	2084^th of 2256 public elementary schools	7.6%	33	37.0	35.0	28.0	51.0	35.0	41.0	36.0	58.0	19.0	$10,597	$1,536	$9,062
James A. Long Elementary School	Public	K-6	1400 Old Jacksonville Rd	Palatka	32177	Putnam County	Putnam	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 329-0575	565	30	18.8	56.5%	294 (52.0%)	207 (36.6%)	35 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.1%)	33.5	1539^th of 2258 public elementary schools	31.8%		24.6	1776^th of 2256 public elementary schools	21.3%	237	46.0	42.0	48.0	62.0	38.0	45.0	48.0	45.0	65.0	$10,661	$1,581	$9,080
Browning-Pearce Elementary School	Public	K-6	100 Bear Blvd	San Mateo	32187	Putnam County	Putnam	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 329-0557	679	38	17.9	59.9%	406 (59.8%)	106 (15.6%)	126 (18.6%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (5.6%)	22.3	1836^th of 2258 public elementary schools	18.7%		23.9	1802^nd of 2256 public elementary schools	20.1%	34	41.0	39.0	49.0	63.0	34.0	29.0	37.0	54.0	35.0	$11,119	$1,620	$9,498
Robert H. Jenkins Junior Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	251 S State Road 315	Interlachen	32148	Putnam County	Putnam	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 684-2130	844	45	18.7	59.0%	630 (74.6%)	45 (5.3%)	129 (15.3%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	34 (4.0%)	23.5	1807^th of 2258 public elementary schools	20.0%		28.2	1678^th of 2256 public elementary schools	25.6%	129	43.0	36.0	37.0	48.0	46.0	30.0	34.0	63.0	50.0	$11,292	$1,725	$9,567
South Woods Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4750 Sr 206 W	Elkton	32033	St. Johns County	St. Johns	No	No	No	Yes	(904) 547-8610	700	49	14.2	71.0%	472 (67.4%)	101 (14.4%)	76 (10.9%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (6.7%)	41.4	1311^th of 2258 public elementary schools	41.9%		34	1516^th of 2256 public elementary schools	32.8%	205	52.0	60.0	41.0		46.0	58.0	60.0		49.0	$13,076	$1,839	$11,237
Middleton-Burney Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1020 Huntington Rd	Crescent City	32112	Putnam County	Putnam	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 698-1238	1,056	49	21.6	60.1%	290 (27.5%)	113 (10.7%)	618 (58.5%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (3.0%)	17.8	1974^th of 2258 public elementary schools	12.6%		19	1931^st of 2256 public elementary schools	14.4%	43	30.0	44.0	38.0	47.0	27.0	41.0	40.0	51.0	36.0	$10,253	$1,540	$8,713
McRae Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	6770 County Road 315 C	Keystone Heights	32656	Clay County	Clay	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 336-6125	544	46	11.8	69.5%	475 (87.3%)	9 (1.7%)	36 (6.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.0%)	72.9	558^th of 2258 public elementary schools	75.3%		71.5	608^th of 2256 public elementary schools	73.0%	50	64.0	65.0	65.0	71.0	66.0	66.0	78.0	80.0	74.0	$12,574	$1,614	$10,960
Ochwilla Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	299 N State Road 21	Hawthorne	32640	Putnam County	Putnam	No	No	No	Yes	(352) 481-0204	388	22	17.6	53.6%	216 (55.7%)	59 (15.2%)	66 (17.0%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (11.1%)	18.7	1958^th of 2258 public elementary schools	13.3%		21.5	1868^th of 2256 public elementary schools	17.2%	90	32.0	24.0	41.0	46.0	28.0	32.0	28.0	60.0	52.0	$14,150	$2,958	$11,192

Frequently Asked Questions about Kelley Smith Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Kelley Smith Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Kelley Smith Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Palatka Junior - Senior High School

What is the racial makeup of Kelley Smith Elementary School?

Students at Kelley Smith Elementary School are 58% White, 31% African American, 6% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

How many students attend Kelley Smith Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 776 students attended Kelley Smith Elementary School.

Is Kelley Smith Elementary School a good school?

Kelley Smith Elementary School ranks 1513^th of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Kelley Smith Elementary School in?

Putnam

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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.