Summary:
In zip code 33781 (Pinellas Park, Florida), there are two elementary schools serving grades PK-5: Pinellas Park Elementary School and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Elementary, both part of the Pinellas district.
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Elementary is the standout school in this area, significantly outperforming Pinellas Park Elementary across nearly all academic metrics. Rawlings holds a state ranking in the 46th percentile (2 stars), while Pinellas Park ranks in the 9th percentile (0 stars). For example, in 4th-grade Math, Rawlings scores 67% proficiency compared to Pinellas Park's 55%, and in 5th-grade Science, Rawlings achieves 63% versus 47%. Rawlings also shows notable strength in English Language Arts, with 3rd-grade proficiency reaching 69% in the 2024-2025 school year, exceeding both district and state averages. Interestingly, Pinellas Park Elementary spends $1,707 more per student ($15,913 vs. $14,206) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (12:1 vs. 14.4:1), yet its academic outcomes are worse, suggesting that factors like instructional quality and school culture are critical drivers of success.
Both schools face similar socioeconomic challenges, with free/reduced lunch rates of 72.41% at Pinellas Park and 66.97% at Rawlings, and chronic absenteeism rates above the state average (34.3% and 30.7%, respectively). Despite these shared hurdles, Rawlings achieves much better results, indicating that school-level practices can overcome demographic obstacles. For parents, Rawlings Elementary offers stronger academic performance and a more positive trajectory, while Pinellas Park Elementary may benefit from targeted improvements in instruction and attendance to close the gap.
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