Atwater Elementary

Q: Is Atwater Elementary a good school?

Atwater Elementary ranks 618 th of 2256 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Atwater Elementary is a public elementary school located in North Port, Florida, serving grades PK-5 with a student population of 802. The school is part of the Sarasota School District, which is ranked 8th out of 68 districts in Florida and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Atwater Elementary stands out for its consistently strong academic performance, outperforming the Sarasota district and the state of Florida in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, Atwater's 3rd-grade English Language Arts proficiency rate was 79%, compared to 68% for the Sarasota district and 55% for the state. Additionally, the school has a relatively low chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 3.0% to 26.5% over the past few years, lower than the nearby schools, which have rates ranging from 22.5% to 34.2%. Despite having a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (65.09%) compared to the nearby schools, which range from 46.95% to 78.77%, Atwater Elementary outperforms academically, indicating the school's ability to provide a quality education to students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

Atwater Elementary also stands out for its racial diversity, with a higher percentage of White students (64.96%) compared to the nearby schools, which range from 51.15% to 69.30% White students. The school has lower percentages of African American and Hispanic students compared to some of the nearby schools, such as Glenallen Elementary School and Deep Creek Elementary School. This diversity may contribute to the school's strong academic performance, as research suggests that diverse learning environments can benefit student achievement.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

4701 Huntsville Ave
North Port, FL 34288

(941) 257-2317

District: Sarasota

SchoolDigger Rank:
618^th of 2,256 Florida Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,288

Students who attend Atwater Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Woodland Middle School
High:	North Port High School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.9

Number of students: 853

Racial breakdown:

White:

61.9%

Hispanic:

19.2%

African American:

9.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 66.4%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Atwater Elementary ranks better than 72.6% of elementary schools in Florida. It also ranks 15^th among 30 ranked elementary schools in the Sarasota School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 70.97. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (61.9%), Hispanic (19.2%), African American (9.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 66.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Atwater Elementary is 13.9. 21 elementary schools in the Sarasota School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Atwater Elementary employs 61 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Atwater Elementary is $12,288. 20 elementary schools in the Sarasota School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Atwater Elementary was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Sarasota:

SchoolDigger ranks Sarasota 8^th of 68 Florida school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Atwater Elementary.

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Rank History for Atwater Elementary

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	FL State Percentile
2011	55.76	938^th	1985	52.7%
2012	63.41	728^th	1984	63.3%
2013	59.06	818^th	2029	59.7%
2014	48.00	1065^th	2064	48.4%
2016	52.70	986^th	2087	52.8%
2017	65.38	718^th	2112	66.0%
2018	61.55	788^th	2118	62.8%
2019	75.49	505^th	2182	76.9%
2021	76.19	509^th	2247	77.3%
2022	70.44	619^th	2219	72.1%
2023	69.83	632^nd	2240	71.8%
2024	70.97	618^th	2256	72.6%

See the entire list of Florida Elementary School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Florida Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Florida Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3.7)

67%

33%

Reviews:

by a parent
Thursday, May 19, 2016

Our son has been in the accelerated classes at Atwater since 2013. His teachers have all been gifted certified and challenge the students with meaningful assignments (not just busy work for gifted kids). Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, May 21, 2015

Overall, I feel this school is lacking a strong confident leader. Two of my children have attended Atwater Elementary. The aftercare team and front lobby staff are very compassionate and professional. Besides that. What I have experienced is the "chain of command" turning the cheek when a situation needs to be handled and resolved. I've experienced, Language/Speech Therapy poorly inconsistent. IEP/504 care team, in other words signatures required. Conclusion, a weak school Close Quote

Enrollment information for Atwater Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2010	444	113	8	88	0	n/a	n/a	33	686
2011	431	86	8	110	0	0	37	0	672
2012	440	85	10	124	0	0	45	0	704
2013	453	81	8	126	1	0	42	0	711
2014	472	81	12	130	0	0	38	0	733
2015	484	70	5	120	1	0	38	0	718
2016	477	79	8	106	1	0	41	0	712
2017	469	64	9	109	0	0	45	0	696
2018	456	69	7	120	0	0	60	0	712
2019	413	69	6	113	0	0	64	0	665
2020	397	68	5	110	0	0	66	0	646
2021	385	60	3	98	1	0	56	0	603
2022	427	64	4	115	1	2	59	0	672
2023	521	72	7	139	2	2	59	0	802
2024	528	83	8	164	2	2	66	0	853

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Atwater Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2010	686	41.0	16.7	70.6
2011	672	45.0	14.9	65.3
2012	704	44.0	16.0	68.3
2013	711	49.0	14.5	68.1
2014	733	51.0	14.3	52.7
2015	718	53.0	13.5	63.2
2016	712	51.0	13.9	64.7
2017	696	53.0	13.1	64.8
2018	712	52.0	13.6	71.2
2019	665	50.0	13.3	65.3
2020	646	45.0	14.3	64.1
2021	603	45.0	13.4	62
2022	672	45.0	14.9	61.8
2023	802	53.0	15.1	65.1
2024	853	61.0	13.9	66.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Atwater Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2010	686	41.0	16.7	70.6
2011	672	45.0	14.9	65.3
2012	704	44.0	16.0	68.3
2013	711	49.0	14.5	68.1
2014	733	51.0	14.3	52.7
2015	718	53.0	13.5	63.2
2016	712	51.0	13.9	64.7
2017	696	53.0	13.1	64.8
2018	712	52.0	13.6	71.2
2019	665	50.0	13.3	65.3
2020	646	45.0	14.3	64.1
2021	603	45.0	13.4	62
2022	672	45.0	14.9	61.8
2023	802	53.0	15.1	65.1
2024	853	61.0	13.9	66.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Atwater Elementary

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2018	$998 (10.1%)	$8,929 (89.9%)	$9,927
2019	$1,187 (11.2%)	$9,410 (88.8%)	$10,597
2020	$1,203 (10.4%)	$10,394 (89.6%)	$11,597
2021	$1,226 (10.2%)	$10,790 (89.8%)	$12,015
2022	$1,403 (11.8%)	$10,491 (88.2%)	$11,894
2023	$1,581 (12.9%)	$10,707 (87.1%)	$12,288

Data source: Florida Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Atwater Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 505^th of 2182 Elementary schools	Ranks 632^nd of 2240 Elementary schools	5.1%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Atwater Elementary)	70	68	2%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Sarasota)	70	63	7%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Florida)	58	53	5%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Atwater Elementary)	78	75	3%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Sarasota)	73	68	5%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Florida)	62	58	4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Atwater Elementary)	64	63	1%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Sarasota)	67	69	2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Florida)	58	57	1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Atwater Elementary)	74	73	1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Sarasota)	72	72
4th Grade Mathematics (Florida)	64	61	3%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Atwater Elementary)	68	58	10%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Sarasota)	68	64	4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Florida)	56	55	1%
5th Grade Mathematics (Atwater Elementary)	69	50	19%
5th Grade Mathematics (Sarasota)	70	60	10%
5th Grade Mathematics (Florida)	60	52	8%
5th Grade Science (Atwater Elementary)	64	63	1%
5th Grade Science (Sarasota)	65	67	2%
5th Grade Science (Florida)	53	51	2%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	665	802	20.6%
African American	69	72	4.3%
American Indian	0	2
Asian	6	7	16.7%
Hispanic	113	139	23%
Pacific Islander	0	2
White	413	521	26.2%
Two or More Races	64	59	7.8%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	65.3%	65.1%	0.2%

Schools Near Atwater Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				FAST English Language Arts (2024)			FAST Math (2024)			Statewide Science Science (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Atwater Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4701 Huntsville Ave	North Port	34288	Sarasota County	Sarasota	No	No	No	Yes	(941) 257-2317	853	61	13.9	66.4%	528 (61.9%)	83 (9.7%)	164 (19.2%)	8 (0.9%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	66 (7.7%)	71	618^th of 2256 public elementary schools	72.6%		69.8	632^nd of 2240 public elementary schools	71.8%	14	79.0	62.0	57.0	76.0	64.0	53.0	63.0	$12,288	$1,581	$10,707
Toledo Blade Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1201 Geranium Ave	North Port	34288	Sarasota County	Sarasota	No	No	No	No	(941) 426-6100	800	54	14.8	59.4%	560 (70.0%)	52 (6.5%)	129 (16.1%)	11 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	46 (5.8%)	82.2	352^nd of 2256 public elementary schools	84.4%		79.8	410^th of 2240 public elementary schools	81.7%	58	71.0	68.0	72.0	80.0	68.0	66.0	72.0	$11,819	$872	$10,947
Liberty Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	370 Atwater St	Port Charlotte	33954	Charlotte County	Charlotte	No	No	No	Yes	(941) 255-7515	694	40	17.3	71.8%	400 (57.6%)	58 (8.4%)	147 (21.2%)	14 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.9%)	69 (9.9%)	60.4	852^nd of 2256 public elementary schools	62.2%		59	867^th of 2240 public elementary schools	61.3%	15	59.0	51.0	62.0	63.0	65.0	53.0	58.0	$11,565	$1,490	$10,075
Neil Armstrong Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	22100 Breezeswept Ave	Port Charlotte	33952	Charlotte County	Charlotte	No	No	No	Yes	(941) 255-7450	784	49	16.0	73.3%	385 (49.1%)	108 (13.8%)	217 (27.7%)	10 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	63 (8.0%)	47	1174^th of 2256 public elementary schools	48.0%		58.3	881^st of 2240 public elementary schools	60.7%	293	54.0	48.0	51.0	59.0	65.0	47.0	44.0	$11,385	$1,348	$10,038
Kingsway Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	23300 Quasar Blvd	Port Charlotte	33980	Charlotte County	Charlotte	No	No	No	Yes	(941) 255-7590	587	38	15.4	62.9%	326 (55.5%)	77 (13.1%)	124 (21.1%)	15 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	42 (7.2%)	36.4	1448^th of 2256 public elementary schools	35.8%		50.5	1083^rd of 2240 public elementary schools	51.7%	365	49.0	53.0	54.0	40.0	54.0	39.0	38.0	$13,378	$1,664	$11,713
Cranberry Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2775 Shalimar Ter	North Port	34286	Sarasota County	Sarasota	No	No	No	Yes	(941) 480-3400	779	56	13.8	69.7%	519 (66.6%)	41 (5.3%)	155 (19.9%)	11 (1.4%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (6.3%)	71.5	606^th of 2256 public elementary schools	73.1%		75.2	506^th of 2240 public elementary schools	77.4%	100	64.0	61.0	57.0	73.0	68.0	57.0	73.0	$14,114	$2,091	$12,023
Lamarque Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3415 Lamarque Ave	North Port	34286	Sarasota County	Sarasota	No	No	No	Yes	(941) 426-6371	1,076	84	12.8	67.8%	742 (69.0%)	61 (5.7%)	184 (17.1%)	12 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (7.1%)	60.3	853^rd of 2256 public elementary schools	62.2%		66.3	710^th of 2240 public elementary schools	68.3%	143	58.0	51.0	60.0	52.0	58.0	70.0	72.0	$14,506	$1,863	$12,643
Meadow Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3131 Lake View Blvd	Port Charlotte	33948	Charlotte County	Charlotte	No	No	No	Yes	(941) 255-7470	669	42	15.9	71.0%	405 (60.5%)	51 (7.6%)	148 (22.1%)	8 (1.2%)	3 (0.4%)	7 (1.0%)	47 (7.0%)	57	924^th of 2256 public elementary schools	59.0%		60.5	825^th of 2240 public elementary schools	63.2%	99	57.0	45.0	56.0	73.0	54.0	57.0	59.0	$13,344	$1,954	$11,390
Peace River Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4070 Beaver Ln	Port Charlotte	33952	Charlotte County	Charlotte	No	No	No	Yes	(941) 255-7622	524	38	13.7	73.9%	272 (51.9%)	77 (14.7%)	109 (20.8%)	14 (2.7%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (9.2%)	19.4	1917^th of 2256 public elementary schools	15.0%		29.2	1631^st of 2240 public elementary schools	27.2%	286	35.0	35.0	41.0	39.0	47.0	26.0	37.0	$14,427	$2,322	$12,106
Glenallen Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7050 Glenallen Blvd	North Port	34287	Sarasota County	Sarasota	No	No	No	Yes	(941) 426-9517	760	55	13.8	80.8%	476 (62.6%)	52 (6.8%)	169 (22.2%)	9 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	52 (6.8%)	53.1	1017^th of 2256 public elementary schools	54.9%		43.6	1236^th of 2240 public elementary schools	44.8%	219	53.0	56.0	51.0	57.0	62.0	53.0	54.0	$14,460	$2,193	$12,268

Frequently Asked Questions about Atwater Elementary

Is Atwater Elementary a good school?

Atwater Elementary ranks 618^th of 2256 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Atwater Elementary in?

Sarasota

What schools do graduates of Atwater Elementary attend?

Students who attend Atwater Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Woodland Middle School
High : North Port High School

How many students attend Atwater Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 853 students attended Atwater Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Atwater Elementary?

Students at Atwater Elementary are 62% White, 19% Hispanic, 10% African American, 8% Two or more races.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.