Summary:
This analysis examines five elementary schools in the 32909 zip code of Palm Bay, Florida, serving grades PK through 6 and part of the Brevard County school district, which ranks in the 66th percentile statewide.
The standout school in this area is Odyssey Preparatory Charter Academy, the only school to earn a 3-star rating in the most recent data, consistently outperforming district and state averages in nearly every subject while maintaining the second-lowest per-student spending ($9,808). Sunrise Elementary School is the highest-ranked traditional public school, showing strong 4th-grade Math (70%) and 6th-grade ELA (72%) scores. Royal Palm Charter School offers a unique K-8 program with exceptional End-of-Course exam results, including 90% proficiency in Algebra 1 and 83% in Civics, far exceeding district averages. Conversely, John F. Turner Senior Elementary School is the lowest-ranked school, with a chronic absenteeism rate of 34.7%—the highest in the area—and the highest poverty rate at 72.17% free/reduced lunch.
Key findings reveal that higher spending does not guarantee better outcomes, as the two lowest-spending schools (Royal Palm at $9,210 and Odyssey at $9,808) are top performers, while the highest-spending schools (Columbia Elementary School at $12,548 and Turner at $11,753) struggle academically. Chronic absenteeism strongly correlates with performance, with Turner's high rate linked to its low ranking and Royal Palm's low rate (16.8%) tied to its advanced test scores. Additionally, 6th-grade performance varies widely, with Sunrise and Columbia posting strong Math scores (69% and 74%) while Turner and Royal Palm lag behind (56% and 45%), highlighting inconsistent student preparedness across schools.
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