Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 32208

This analysis examines four elementary schools in Jacksonville, FL (zip code 32208), all part of the Duval school district, serving grades PK-5 (with Becoming Collegiate Academy serving K-4) in an area where schools face significant challenges, ranking in the bottom 23rd percentile of Florida elementary schools.

Rutledge H. Pearson Elementary School stands out as the highest-performing school in the area, achieving a 2-star rating and the highest state percentile rank (27th). It is the only school where 4th and 5th-grade math proficiency exceeds state averages, with 4th-grade math at 67% outperforming both the district (61%) and state (65%). However, its ranking has dropped from the 37th percentile to the 27th percentile, indicating a concerning downward trend. In contrast, Sallye B. Mathis Elementary School presents a spending anomaly, investing $15,645 per student—62% higher than the next closest school and 58% above the district average—yet it ranks in the bottom 8th percentile with declining science scores. North Shore Elementary faces a chronic absenteeism crisis at 66.0%, more than double the state average, while Becoming Collegiate Academy, the smallest school with 205 students and a 100% free/reduced lunch rate, ranks in the 3rd percentile with uniformly low academic scores.

Key metrics reveal systemic challenges: the average chronic absenteeism rate across these schools is 52.9%, 68% higher than the state average, and all schools fall below district averages in nearly every subject, with the largest gap in 5th-grade science (15-27 percentage points behind). The average free/reduced lunch rate is 81.2%, ranging from 71.31% at Sallye B. Mathis to 100% at Becoming Collegiate Academy. Per-student spending averages $11,472, with student-teacher ratios from 14:1 at Sallye B. Mathis to 20.4:1 at North Shore. The most striking takeaway is that higher spending does not guarantee success, as Sallye B. Mathis demonstrates, while chronic absenteeism emerges as the strongest correlating factor with low performance across all schools.