Summary:
Zip code 33496 in Boca Raton, Florida, is home to two exceptional elementary schools, Whispering Pines Elementary School and Calusa Elementary School, both serving grades K-5 within the Palm Beach school district and offering families a choice between two high-performing options.
Calusa Elementary School stands out as the top performer in the area, earning a 5-star rating and ranking in the 92nd percentile of all Florida elementary schools. It consistently outperforms Whispering Pines Elementary School in nearly every academic metric, including average ELA proficiency (80.3% vs. 74.3%) and average math proficiency (86.5% vs. 81.8%). Calusa also boasts a lower chronic absenteeism rate (14.2% vs. 19.7%) and higher per-student spending ($14,771 vs. $13,030). However, Whispering Pines Elementary School is no slouch—it is a strong 4-star school ranked in the 81st percentile, with particular strengths in math, including 81% proficiency in 5th-grade math. Both schools far exceed district and state averages across all subjects, and both reported a remarkable 100% proficiency in 6th-grade math, likely reflecting advanced coursework for a select group of students.
Families in this zip code benefit from schools with very low rates of economic disadvantage (under 19% free/reduced lunch eligibility), which contributes to the high overall performance and low chronic absenteeism rates compared to the district (23.4%) and state (31.4%). Calusa Elementary School offers consistent excellence with a stable top-8% state ranking over three years, while Whispering Pines Elementary School provides a very strong alternative that would be a standout in most other districts. Both schools maintain favorable student-teacher ratios (around 16:1), ensuring personalized attention for students.
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