University Academy Sabl Inc, Panama City FL

Original Research by School Decision on University Academy Sabl Inc

University Academy SABL is a charter school in Panama City, Florida, serving students from kindergarten through eighth grade. It sits on Discovery Loop in the 32405 zip code, a part of Panama City that lies inland from the bay and away from the downtown waterfront core. As a charter, it operates under the Bay County school district's umbrella but with its own governance and admissions process.

The academic picture here is genuinely strong. On Florida's FAST assessments, math proficiency across the tested grades runs in the low-to-upper nineties, a consistent performance that holds from third grade through seventh. That kind of uniformity across multiple grade levels is uncommon and reflects something more than a single strong cohort. ELA results are somewhat lower but still well above what most Florida schools report, with the majority of grades landing in the mid-to-upper eighties and seventh grade reaching the low nineties. Science proficiency at fifth and eighth grade tracks closely with ELA, also in the mid-to-upper eighties. Taken together, the academic profile here is a clear strength by any reasonable comparison within the state.

The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic, Black, Asian, and multiracial students. One detail that stands out in the demographics is that only a small fraction of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is well below the Florida average and suggests the school draws heavily from more economically stable households. Data on students with IEPs and English learners was not reported, so a parent with a child who has special education needs or is an English learner should ask the school directly about those supports and services. No discipline, attendance, or chronic absenteeism data was available in what was provided.

Comparison proficiency metrics relative to other districts in Bay County were not computed because the county has too few districts to generate a meaningful peer group, so that context is simply absent here rather than suppressed.

There are no high school grades, so graduation rate does not apply to this school. Program offerings were not provided in the data.

Panama City itself gives some context worth knowing. The city is in an active redevelopment period, much of it driven by recovery from hurricane damage and by a major ongoing rebuild at Tyndall Air Force Base nearby. The defense and military sector anchors the regional economy, with healthcare and hospitality filling out the employer base. Downtown has been undergoing a streetscape reconstruction along Harrison Avenue, completed in late 2025, and a Community Redevelopment Agency is active across four city districts using tax increment financing for mixed-use housing and infrastructure projects. The housing market in this zip code shows home values somewhat below both the Florida and national medians, with rents that by standard affordability measures consume a modest share of a typical income. Year-over-year home values are essentially flat.

For a family weighing this school, the academic performance across all tested subjects is the clearest thing the data can say: this is a school where the vast majority of students are meeting or exceeding Florida proficiency standards, and that holds across grades and subjects in a way that warrants taking seriously. The low economic disadvantage rate and charter governance mean it may fit best for families who are already engaged in actively choosing a school and who are not relying on robust special-education infrastructure, though a parent should verify the latter directly with the school rather than drawing conclusions from missing data alone.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 396%

School 96% · District 59% · ▲ 37 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 493%

School 93% · District 65% · ▲ 28 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 595%

School 95% · District 51% · ▲ 44 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 47 pts above county median

Grade 696%

School 96% · District 60% · ▲ 36 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 798%

School 98% · District 50% · ▲ 48 pts above district

▲ 49 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 387%

School 87% · District 53% · ▲ 34 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 479%

School 79% · District 60% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 585%

School 85% · District 51% · ▲ 34 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Grade 686%

School 86% · District 61% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 793%

School 93% · District 57% · ▲ 36 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 886%

School 86% · District 55% · ▲ 32 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Science

Grade 585%

School 85% · District 53% · ▲ 32 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 887%

School 87% · District 52% · ▲ 35 pts above district

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

This schoolBAY, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income62%Higher-income82%21 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income92%Higher-income84%7 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income94%Higher-income84%10 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income95%Higher-income92%3 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income87%Higher-income86%1 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income77%Higher-income96%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income100%Higher-income95%5 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income88%Higher-income99%11 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income100%Higher-income98%2 pp gap