The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in Math. The lowest is 46% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Pleasant Grove Elementary School
Pleasant Grove Elementary sits on Pleasant Grove Road in Inverness, the county seat of Citrus County, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is a regular public school in the Citrus County School District, with no charter or magnet designation.
The school draws a student body that is predominantly white, with Hispanic students making up a meaningful share and smaller populations of students identifying as two or more races, Black, and Asian. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in the higher range of economic need among Florida elementaries. Data on English learner identification and special education rates were not available in the materials provided.
On Florida's FAST assessments for the most recent school year, results vary considerably by grade. In math, third graders performed at a solid majority proficiency rate, fourth graders came in notably higher, and fifth graders came in below half proficient. A sixth-grade math result appears in the data, which likely reflects a small number of students enrolled in an accelerated course; that figure sits at near-universal proficiency and should be read in that context rather than as a school-wide math picture. In ELA, third graders landed just above half proficient, fourth graders came in somewhat higher, and fifth graders fell below half. The fifth-grade science assessment showed results similar to fifth-grade ELA, with fewer than half of students scoring proficient. Taken together, the academic picture is mixed: fourth grade is the clearest bright spot across subjects, while third and fifth grade results, particularly in ELA and science, are below mid-range. A parent who wants more context on how the school supports students who are not yet proficient would be well served asking the school directly about its intervention approach.
No multi-year trend data was available, so whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability is not something the data can show.
At the district level, Citrus County Schools publicly reported a swing in its state accountability rating in recent years, dropping and then recovering to a "B" rating, with no schools in the district currently at the lowest ratings. That trajectory is worth knowing as context. The district also adopted a revised student cell phone policy in late 2025 in line with state law, which shapes the daily classroom environment. A new Agri-STEAM Academy combining agriculture with hands-on science, technology, engineering, arts, and math is set to launch at Floral City Elementary for the 2026-27 school year, a distinctive pathway for families in that part of the county, though it is not at Pleasant Grove.
A graduation rate does not apply here because Pleasant Grove serves only elementary grades.
Inverness itself is a small city with a compact, walkable downtown centered on Courthouse Square and the historic Old Courthouse. The Withlacoochee State Trail, a long paved multi-use path, runs directly through downtown and along Lake Henderson, giving the community an active outdoor character. Liberty Park and Wallace Brooks Park sit on the lake, connected by a boardwalk through cypress and palms. The downtown hosts shops, restaurants, and publicly reported free live music events. The overall feel is slow-paced and water-shaped, old Florida in character.
The housing market in the Inverness zip code shows home values meaningfully below both the Florida state median and the national median, and they have edged downward year over year, which makes the area relatively accessible for buyers compared to much of Florida. Rent-to-income ratios sit in a reasonable range by national standards. New construction is active across the broader area, with builders offering homes across a range of price points, and publicly reported efforts to bring attainable entry-level models to the market.
The school district is the largest employer in the county, with the regional hospital a close second, and county government and retail rounding out the employment base. For families weighing where to settle in Citrus County, Inverness offers the most walkable, civic-centered setting in the district, with Pleasant Grove serving the eastern residential neighborhoods of that community.
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