Summary:
In zip code 33705 (St. Petersburg, FL), there are four elementary schools serving grades PK-5 within the Pinellas County School District, presenting a stark contrast in academic performance and student demographics.
Bay Vista Fundamental Elementary School and Midtown Academy are the standout high-performing schools in the area. Bay Vista Fundamental earns a 5-star rating and ranks in the 93rd percentile statewide, while Midtown Academy achieves a 4-star rating and the 88th percentile. Both schools have low chronic absenteeism rates (10% and 20.5%, respectively) and relatively low free/reduced lunch percentages (around 36%). In contrast, Campbell Park Elementary School and Lakewood Elementary School face significant challenges, earning only 2-star ratings and ranking in the bottom half of Florida schools. These two schools have very high chronic absenteeism rates (59.2% and 46.6%) and high economic disadvantage rates (79-81% free/reduced lunch).
A key finding is that spending per student is inversely related to performance: Lakewood Elementary spends the most at $19,287 per student but has the lowest test scores, while Bay Vista Fundamental spends the least at $11,382 and achieves the highest results. This suggests additional funding at lower-performing schools is used to address challenges like absenteeism rather than directly driving academic excellence. Midtown Academy stands out as an efficiency champion, achieving nearly identical ELA proficiency (77.7%) to Bay Vista Fundamental with a lower student-teacher ratio (12.2 vs. 14.7). Overall, parents in this zip code have two excellent options in Bay Vista Fundamental and Midtown Academy, while Campbell Park and Lakewood Elementary require significant support to improve student outcomes.
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