Branford Elementary School

Branford Elementary School in Branford, FL, serves 712 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade and is part of the Suwannee County School District, which ranks in the 30th percentile among Florida districts.

Branford Elementary has historically been a mid-tier school, but its most recent ranking dropped to a 2-star rating, signaling a potential downward trend. The most significant challenge is chronic absenteeism: 45% of students were chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year, far exceeding the state average of 31.4% and rates at nearby schools like Westside Elementary (25.5%) and Columbia City Elementary (23.3%). This absenteeism likely drives academic struggles, especially in upper grades. For example, 3rd-grade math proficiency is strong at 73%, outperforming the district and state, but by 5th grade, it drops to just 41%—a 32-percentage-point decline not seen at peer schools like Lafayette Elementary, which maintains consistent math scores around 70% across all grades.

Despite these challenges, there are bright spots. Branford’s 5th-grade science scores are a standout: 65% of students are proficient, above the state average (60%) and significantly higher than the district average (50%), as well as nearby Bell Elementary (57%) and Fort White Elementary (42%). Additionally, Branford outperforms Fort White Elementary in nearly every academic metric, despite both serving similar high-poverty populations. Per-student spending at Branford ($10,000) is the lowest among comparison schools, yet Pinemount Elementary ($11,172) and Lafayette ($12,998) spend more and show stronger results. However, Westside Elementary, the highest-performing nearby school, spends slightly less ($9,752) than Branford, suggesting that addressing absenteeism and building a strong school culture could be more impactful than funding alone.