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South Daytona Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1795^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 20% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

South Daytona Elementary School is a public school in South Daytona, FL, serving 794 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Volusia County School District, with 72.29% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The school is currently performing well below district and state averages, ranking in the 20th percentile (1 star) for the 2025-2026 school year, a significant drop from previous years and a clear downward trend over the last three years.

The most critical challenge facing South Daytona Elementary is its extremely high chronic absenteeism rate of 38.2% in the 2023-2024 school year, which is far above the state average of 31.4% and dramatically higher than nearby high-performing schools like Sweetwater Elementary (13.2%) and Spruce Creek Elementary (23.8%). This absenteeism crisis is likely a core driver of the school's academic struggles, as students miss foundational instruction and fall behind. Academically, the school is consistently below district averages across nearly every subject and grade, with a particularly severe "4th grade slump" where proficiency in ELA drops from 51% in 3rd grade to 39% in 4th grade, and math drops from 54% to 35%.

Interestingly, the school's per-student spending of $10,228 is in the middle of the pack compared to neighbors, suggesting funding is not the primary issue. Notably, just 2 miles away is Port Orange Elementary, a high-performing 4-star school with a similar free/reduced lunch rate (59.83%), proving that the challenges at South Daytona are not insurmountable. Until the chronic absenteeism crisis is addressed, other academic interventions will likely have limited impact, making attendance a top priority for families considering this school.

794

Students ?

14.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,228

Per pupil spending ?

72.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

600 Elizabeth Pl
South Daytona, FL 32119

(386) 756-7180

District: Volusia

Students who attend South Daytona Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Campbell Middle School
High:	Atlantic High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

40.4%

African American:

29.0%

Hispanic:

18.4%

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Compare South Daytona Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 42nd percentile in 2016 → 20th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (47% vs 62% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school47%

District avg62%

Florida avg62%

1,795^th of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 23 pts since 2016

From bottom 42% (2016) to bottom 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

44^th of 48Elementary Schools in the Volusia

34^th of 70Volusia 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
2026	24.8	1795 of 2240	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.1	1553 of 2258	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.5	1728 of 2256	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.0	1681 of 2240	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.9	1646 of 2219	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.3	1437 of 2247	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.7	1767 of 2182	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.3	1537 of 2118	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.5	1541 of 2112	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	42.6	1202 of 2087	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	43.0	1186 of 2064	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	36.8	1311 of 2029	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	30.5	1429 of 1984	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	39.0	1288 of 1985	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	50.2	1027 of 1919	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	47.3	1045 of 1847	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	60.7	733 of 1789	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	55.1	840 of 1786	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	48.3	893 of 1688	47.1%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Science50%-10 vs state

English Language Arts48%-12 vs state

Math46%-18 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, July 23, 2018

The teachers and staff truly care about what is best for my child. This school is one of the best in the area, despite what others have to say about it. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Horrible, Do not let your children come here if you want whats best for them.Would not recommend. Close Quote

Schools Near South Daytona Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				FAST English Language Arts (2026)			FAST Math (2026)			Statewide Science Science (2026)	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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
South Daytona Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	600 Elizabeth Pl	South Daytona	32119	Volusia County	Volusia	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 756-7180	794	53	14.9	72.3%	321 (40.4%)	230 (29.0%)	146 (18.4%)	5 (0.6%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (11.1%)	24.8	1795^th of 2240 public elementary schools	19.9%		33.1	1553^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	31.2%	242	51.0	39.0	56.0	54.0	35.0	49.0	50.0	$10,228	$1,106	$9,122
R. J. Longstreet Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2745 S Peninsula Dr	Daytona Beach	32118	Volusia County	Volusia	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 756-7280	342	24	14.5	60.8%	214 (62.6%)	28 (8.2%)	57 (16.7%)	6 (1.8%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (10.2%)	53.1	1069^th of 2240 public elementary schools	52.3%		40.9	1329^th of 2258 public elementary schools	41.1%	260	74.0	58.0	57.0	74.0	58.0	52.0	63.0	$11,897	$617	$11,280
Sugar Mill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1101 Charles St	Port Orange	32129	Volusia County	Volusia	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 756-7130	526	37	14.2	60.8%	374 (71.1%)	36 (6.8%)	63 (12.0%)	9 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	43 (8.2%)	47.5	1212^th of 2240 public elementary schools	45.9%		51.3	1083^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	52.0%	129	59.0	54.0	62.0	64.0	57.0	57.0	62.0	$11,490	$833	$10,656
Port Orange Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	402 Dunlawton Ave	Port Orange	32127	Volusia County	Volusia	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 756-7100	346	24	14.4	59.8%	251 (72.5%)	16 (4.6%)	37 (10.7%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (11.0%)	73.8	535^th of 2240 public elementary schools	76.1%		77.1	469^th of 2258 public elementary schools	79.2%	66	69.0	64.0	68.0	77.0	74.0	69.0	84.0	$10,794	$409	$10,385
Turie T. Small Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	800 South St	Daytona Beach	32114	Volusia County	Volusia	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 239-6340	597	31	19.2	91.0%	36 (6.0%)	437 (73.2%)	72 (12.1%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (8.0%)	10.7	2130^th of 2240 public elementary schools	4.9%		13.5	2067^th of 2258 public elementary schools	8.5%	63	26.0	21.0	47.0	32.0	35.0	45.0	42.0	$9,913	$1,015	$8,899
DME Academy	Private, Nonsectarian	9-12	2441 Bellevue Ave	Daytona Beach	32114	Volusia County		(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(386) 271-3378																			(n/a)
Sweetwater Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5800 Victoria Gardens Blvd	Port Orange	32127	Volusia County	Volusia	No	No	No	No	(386) 322-7530	617	42	14.6	31.9%	483 (78.3%)	26 (4.2%)	55 (8.9%)	19 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	31 (5.0%)	92.4	85^th of 2240 public elementary schools	96.2%		91.7	112^th of 2258 public elementary schools	95.0%	27	85.0	88.0	73.0	91.0	90.0	90.0	85.0	$11,178	$545	$10,633
Horizon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4751 Hidden Lake Dr	Port Orange	32129	Volusia County	Volusia	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 756-7150	618	48	12.8	51.3%	359 (58.1%)	108 (17.5%)	80 (12.9%)	22 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (7.9%)	72.7	558^th of 2240 public elementary schools	75.1%		71.8	586^th of 2258 public elementary schools	74.0%	28	76.0	57.0	73.0	76.0	68.0	74.0	76.0	$12,301	$1,043	$11,259
Spruce Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	642 Taylor Rd	Port Orange	32127	Volusia County	Volusia	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 322-6200	726	52	13.9	49.2%	508 (70.0%)	30 (4.1%)	101 (13.9%)	37 (5.1%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	46 (6.3%)	80.7	372^nd of 2240 public elementary schools	83.4%		78.5	440^th of 2258 public elementary schools	80.5%	68	75.0	70.0	73.0	78.0	81.0	77.0	75.0	$12,401	$1,026	$11,373
Palm Terrace Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1825 Dunn Ave	Daytona Beach	32114	Volusia County	Volusia	No	No	No	Yes	(386) 274-3430	697	46	15.1	81.8%	114 (16.4%)	417 (59.8%)	96 (13.8%)	8 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.7%)	57 (8.2%)	18.8	1964^th of 2240 public elementary schools	12.3%		16	2012^th of 2258 public elementary schools	10.9%	48	37.0	49.0	47.0	37.0	49.0	39.0	49.0	$11,308	$1,162	$10,146

Frequently Asked Questions about South Daytona Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of South Daytona Elementary School?

Students at South Daytona Elementary School are 40% White, 29% African American, 18% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races.

How many students attend South Daytona Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 794 students attended South Daytona Elementary School.

What district is South Daytona Elementary School in?

Volusia

What schools do graduates of South Daytona Elementary School attend?

Students who attend South Daytona Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Campbell Middle School
High : Atlantic High School

Is South Daytona Elementary School a good school?

South Daytona Elementary School ranks in the bottom 19.9% of Florida elementary schools.

Rate South Daytona Elementary School!

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Latest Florida data All new data »

2025–26 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataMar 20, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2025

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.