Summary:
Zip code 32119 is home to a single school, South Daytona Elementary School, a public elementary school serving grades Pre-K through 5th grade with 794 students in the Volusia district, which is ranked 34th out of 70 districts in Florida.
South Daytona Elementary School serves a high-poverty population, with 72.29% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and has a student-teacher ratio of 14.9. The school's state ranking has declined sharply over the last three years, dropping from the 31st percentile (2 stars) in 2024-2025 to the 20th percentile (1 star) in 2025-2026, placing it in the bottom fifth of all Florida elementary schools. A major concern is the very high chronic absenteeism rate of 38.2% for the 2023-2024 school year, which significantly exceeds both the district (34.1%) and state (31.4%) averages and is likely a primary driver of the low academic performance.
Test score data from the 2025-2026 school year reveals a notable "4th grade slump." While 3rd and 5th graders show proficiency rates in the 50-56% range for English Language Arts (ELA) and Math, 4th graders experience a dramatic drop to just 39% in ELA and 35% in Math. This 15-19 percentage point gap compared to 3rd grade suggests a possible curriculum transition issue or a specific instructional challenge at that grade level. Despite the overall poor performance, 5th graders show relative strength, with 56% proficiency in ELA (the school's highest score) and 50% in Science, indicating that some effective strategies may exist at the upper grade level that could be replicated for lower grades. The school spends $10,228 per student, a reasonable figure, suggesting that external factors like poverty and absenteeism may be overwhelming the school's capacity to deliver results.
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