Summary:
This analysis examines five elementary-level schools in Port St. Lucie, FL (zip code 34986), serving grades from K-5 to PK-8, all part of the St. Lucie County school district, which is ranked 38th out of 70 districts in Florida.
Manatee Academy K-8 stands out as the highest-ranked school overall for the 2025-2026 school year, with the largest enrollment of 1,700 students and exceptional performance in advanced coursework, including 93% proficiency in Algebra 1 and 98% in Geometry. West Gate K-8 School shows strong consistency, having achieved a 3-star rating in recent years, and boasts the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (29.4%) and the lowest free/reduced lunch percentage (50.52%) among the larger K-8 schools. Somerset Academy Bethany, the only elementary-only school (K-5), achieves some of the highest test scores despite having the highest poverty rate (64.14% free/reduced lunch) and the largest class sizes (21:1 student-teacher ratio), with 74% proficiency in 5th-grade ELA. Renaissance Charter School Of St. Lucie is notable for cost efficiency, spending the least per student ($8,634) while achieving competitive results in advanced subjects like Biology 1 (97% proficient) and Civics (87% proficient).
Key metrics show enrollment ranges from 527 to 1,700 students, with an average free/reduced lunch rate of 58.2% and average spending per student of $9,791. Chronic absenteeism is a universal challenge, ranging from 25% to 30.7%, though all schools are below the district average of 34.4%. A fascinating pattern emerges across the three largest K-8 schools: 7th-grade math proficiency is a weakness (22-48%), but 8th-grade math jumps dramatically to 65-70%, exceeding the state average of 61%. Spending does not correlate with performance, as the highest spender (St. Lucie West K-8, $10,592) has the lowest ranking, while the lowest spender (Renaissance Charter) ranks higher. Overall, these schools excel in advanced coursework preparation, with Geometry proficiency at 97-100% across all K-8 schools, significantly outperforming state averages.
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