Summary:
Zip code 34202, serving the Lakewood Ranch and Bradenton areas of Manatee County, Florida, is home to five schools—three elementary schools (Pre-K through 5th grade) and two middle schools (6th through 8th grade)—all part of the Manatee school district, which ranks in the 43rd percentile statewide.
The elementary schools in this zip code are consistently high-performing, with all three ranking in the top 20% of Florida. Gilbert W McNeal Elementary School is the standout, earning a 5-star rating and ranking in the 95th percentile, with exceptional test scores—90% proficiency in 5th-grade Science and Math, and 83-86% in English Language Arts. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (13.1%) and the lowest percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch (24.11%). Robert Willis Elementary School is also strong, with 86% proficiency in 3rd-grade Math and 80% in 4th-grade ELA. Braden River Elementary School showed the most improvement, jumping from the 72nd to the 82nd percentile in its state ranking, though it spends the most per student ($14,305) without being the top performer.
The middle schools reveal a stark divide. R. Dan Nolan Middle School is a top performer, ranking in the 81st percentile with a 4-star rating, excelling in advanced coursework (99-100% proficiency in Algebra 1 and Geometry) and 8th-grade Science (83%). In contrast, Braden River Middle School ranks in the 44th percentile with a 2-star rating, struggling with English Language Arts (49% proficiency) and the highest chronic absenteeism rate (30.7%) in the zip code. This performance gap is strongly linked to socioeconomic factors, as Braden River Middle has a 61.98% free/reduced lunch rate compared to Nolan’s 28.72%. Chronic absenteeism emerges as a key indicator of school health, with the zip code average (18.0%) far better than the district (29.4%) and state (31.4%) averages, except for Braden River Middle.
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