The top reported proficiency rate is 87% in English language arts. The lowest is 79% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Virginia Shuman Young Elementary School
Virginia Shuman Young Elementary sits on NE 11th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale's downtown core, a location that places it squarely in one of South Florida's most actively transforming urban neighborhoods. The school serves prekindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Broward County district.
The academic picture here is genuinely strong. On Florida's FAST assessments, proficiency rates across third, fourth, and fifth grade in both math and ELA are consistently high, running well above what most Florida elementary schools produce. Math proficiency holds in the low-to-mid eighties across all three tested grades, while ELA runs slightly higher, with fourth grade posting the strongest result of any subject and grade. Fifth-grade science scores on the Florida Statewide Science Assessment are also solid, coming in just below the school's ELA and math marks. These are not marginal numbers; they represent a sustained pattern of strong performance across every subject the state tests at this level. Multi-year trend data was not available, so whether the school has been holding steady or building momentum is a question worth asking directly.
The student body is racially diverse. White students make up the largest single group, with Black and Hispanic students each representing meaningful shares, and smaller Asian and multiracial populations rounding out the picture. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this school closer to the middle of the economic spectrum than either the most affluent or most economically stressed schools in Broward. Data on English learner enrollment and students with IEPs was not reported in the data available here, so parents with children in those populations may want to ask the school directly about support structures.
The enrollment is fairly large for an elementary school, spread across full grade cohorts from pre-K through fifth grade. The pre-K program means the school can be a child's first formal school experience and carry them through elementary years in one place, which matters for families thinking about continuity.
Programmatic details were not available in the data, so a parent curious about enrichment, arts, after-school offerings, or specific instructional models should reach out to the school or the Broward district. No magnet designation was listed. District-level news and strategic changes were not surfaced in research, so recent policy shifts or budget developments at the Broward level are not captured here.
The housing market surrounding this school is among the most expensive in Florida. Home values in the relevant zip code run dramatically higher than both the Florida and national medians, and rents are also elevated, with rent-to-income ratios that point to real affordability pressure. Home values have edged slightly down year over year while rents have ticked up, a combination worth watching for families deciding between renting and buying. Fort Lauderdale's downtown is in the middle of a pronounced high-rise building cycle, with publicly reported accounts describing more than a dozen towers under construction and many more in review. Families moving into the area in the next few years will be entering a neighborhood still being built, with the associated construction activity and long-term density shifts that entails.
The immediate neighborhood offers genuine urban texture. Las Olas Boulevard, the New River Riverwalk, and proximity to cultural anchors like the Museum of Discovery and Science and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts put a range of out-of-school experiences within reach, particularly for families based downtown or in adjacent walkable neighborhoods like Victoria Park and Flagler Village. Transit options, including Brightline rail and Broward County Transit, are accessible from the area. Broward County Public Schools is itself headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, which may matter for families who want district administration close at hand.
For a family seeking a downtown Fort Lauderdale elementary with strong assessed academic outcomes, a racially mixed peer environment, and proximity to urban amenities, Virginia Shuman Young fits that picture well. Families wanting more detail on special education services, enrichment programs, or how the school handles the transition from the large pre-K cohort into elementary years will need to go directly to the school for answers the available data does not supply.
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