Read-Pattillo Elementary School

Read-Pattillo Elementary School in New Smyrna Beach, FL, is a mid-sized school serving 369 students in grades PK through 5, and it is part of the Volusia district.

Read-Pattillo has shown a clear upward trend over the past decade, climbing from a low point in 2019 to a solid 60th percentile ranking in the state. The school excels in 5th grade science, with 78% of students proficient, significantly outperforming the district and state averages. However, performance in English Language Arts and math is more inconsistent and often lags behind nearby schools. For example, while 5th grade ELA proficiency at Read-Pattillo was 55%, Chisholm Elementary School, just 1.5 miles away, achieved 75%. The most critical challenge is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 32.2%—nearly 2.5 times higher than top-performing Sweetwater Elementary School (13.2%). This suggests that when students are in class, instruction is effective, but high absenteeism likely drags down overall scores, especially in cumulative subjects.

Interestingly, the school’s spending per student ($11,424) is in the middle of the pack compared to neighbors, indicating that performance challenges are not simply about funding. The stark contrast with nearby Chisholm Elementary—which has similar demographics but much better test scores and lower absenteeism—suggests that school-specific culture and family engagement play a major role. Addressing absenteeism could be the single most impactful step for Read-Pattillo to improve its overall rank and close the gap with its high-performing neighbors.