The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in Science. The lowest is 50% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on C. W. Norton Elementary School
C. W. Norton Elementary sits in a residential section of northwest Gainesville, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Alachua County district. The enrollment is moderate in size for an elementary school in this region, spread fairly evenly across grade levels from kindergarten through fifth grade, with a pre-K program as well.
The student body is racially and ethnically mixed. White students make up the largest share, followed by Black students, then Hispanic students, with smaller Asian, multiracial, and other groups represented. Just over half of enrolled students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which means the school straddles a moderate level of economic need rather than being concentrated at either extreme. Data on English learners and students with IEPs were not available in the material reviewed, so parents with children in those groups should ask the school directly about services and caseloads.
On Florida's FAST assessments in the most recent school year, Norton's results land in a range that is worth understanding clearly. In ELA, proficiency rates across third, fourth, and fifth grades cluster in the low-to-mid fifties, with third grade slightly higher than fifth. In math, results vary more by grade: third grade is meaningfully lower than fourth and fifth, which are both in the mid-fifties. Fifth-grade science proficiency comes in just above that same range. Placed against districts in Alachua County, the school's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint of the two-district comparison set but well below the top of that range. In practical terms, roughly half of tested students are meeting grade-level benchmarks in reading and math, and roughly half are not. A parent whose child is working at or above grade level will find peers in both groups here. A parent whose child needs extra academic support may want to ask the school specifically what interventions are in place for students who are not yet proficient, since the data alone does not describe those programs. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability over time.
One district-level development that touches every Alachua County school is the renewal, by voters in late 2024, of the One Mill property tax. That renewal, publicly reported, funds art, music, drama, band and chorus teachers, school nurses, librarians, and counselors across the district, and pays all or part of the salaries of a substantial share of district teachers. Its continuation through mid-2029 means these staffing categories are funded at current schools without new tax burden on homeowners. Norton, as a regular district school, benefits from that funding base alongside all other Alachua County schools.
The year-round school pilot underway in the district applies to Metcalfe Elementary and, until recently, Rawlings Elementary. Norton is not part of that program, so families here follow the standard school calendar.
Gainesville itself is a university-anchored city where the University of Florida and UF Health together anchor the local economy, publicly reported sources confirm. The employment base is more stable than in cities dependent on single industries, and the city has a college-town character that is larger than a small town but smaller in feel than Florida's major metros. The housing market near Norton, in the northwest Gainesville zip code, shows home values modestly below the Florida statewide median and slightly below national levels as of recent data, with values softening slightly year over year. Rents in the area are rising modestly. The rent-to-income ratio, using national household income figures, suggests that renting here is reasonably manageable by national standards. The mortgage calculation similarly puts the area in a more accessible range than much of Florida, though individual circumstances vary.
Discipline data, attendance and chronic absenteeism rates, and information on specific academic programs at Norton were not available in the material provided. Parents interested in those dimensions would need to inquire with the school directly.
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