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The Children's Reading Center

Public, Charter Grades K-6

166^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 93% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

The Children's Reading Center is a public charter elementary school located in Palatka, Florida, serving grades K-6 with a total enrollment of 260 students. The school is part of the Putnam District, which is ranked 58 out of 67 districts in Florida and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

The Children's Reading Center consistently outperforms the Putnam District and the state of Florida in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school had 88% of 5th-grade students proficient or better in Statewide Science/Science, compared to 45% for the Putnam District and 55% for Florida. The school's English Language Arts and Math proficiency rates are also significantly higher than the district and state averages, with 6th-grade students achieving 88% and 91% proficiency, respectively, in the 2024-2025 school year. The Children's Reading Center has a strong track record of high rankings and ratings from SchoolDigger, ranking 166 out of 2,258 Florida elementary schools and receiving a 5-star rating, the highest possible, in the 2024-2025 school year.

Despite serving a population with a lower socioeconomic status, as indicated by the relatively high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, The Children's Reading Center has been able to achieve exceptional academic performance, significantly outperforming the nearby public schools in the Putnam District, such as Robert H. Jenkins Junior Elementary, Browning-Pearce Elementary, William D. Moseley Elementary, and James A. Long Elementary. However, the school's high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 26.7% to 57.5%, are an area of concern that should be addressed to further improve student outcomes.

275

Students ?

23.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,021

Per pupil spending ?

37.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7901 Saint Johns Ave
Palatka, FL 32177

(386) 326-2762

District: Putnam

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.0%

African American:

23.3%

Hispanic:

8.4%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare The Children's Reading Center to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 74th percentile in 2014 → 93rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Florida average (82% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of Florida elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 19 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school82%

District avg46%

Florida avg58%

166^th of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Top 7%▲ up 25 pts since 2016

From top 32% (2016) to top 7% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	90.0	166 of 2258	92.6%	★★★★★
2024	84.5	307 of 2256	86.4%	★★★★☆
2023	93.1	93 of 2240	95.8%	★★★★★
2022	90.9	157 of 2219	92.9%	★★★★★
2021	88.7	223 of 2247	90.1%	★★★★★
2019	81.9	355 of 2182	83.7%	★★★★☆
2018	83.9	319 of 2118	84.9%	★★★★☆
2017	87.3	217 of 2112	89.7%	★★★★☆
2016	67.0	674 of 2087	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	71.8	531 of 2064	74.3%	★★★★☆
2013	72.0	521 of 2029	74.3%	★★★★☆
2012	54.2	905 of 1984	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	55.3	943 of 1985	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	75.0	438 of 1919	77.2%	★★★★☆
2009	38.3	1230 of 1847	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	22.5	1471 of 1789	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	35.8	1210 of 1786	32.3%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

Science88%+33 vs state

Math85%+24 vs state

English Language Arts79%+21 vs state

★

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Schools Near The Children's Reading Center

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
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
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
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
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
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
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 The Children's Reading Center

What is the racial makeup of The Children's Reading Center?

Students at The Children's Reading Center are 60% White, 23% African American, 8% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races.

What district is The Children's Reading Center in?

Putnam

Is The Children's Reading Center a good school?

Yes. The Children's Reading Center ranks in the top 7.4% of Florida elementary schools.

How many students attend The Children's Reading Center?

In the 2024-25 school year, 275 students attended The Children's Reading Center.

Rate The Children's Reading Center!

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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.