The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in Math. The lowest is 39% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Nocatee Elementary School
Nocatee Elementary School sits in an unusual position: it carries the name of one of Florida's most prominent master-planned communities, yet it is a DeSoto County public school serving pre-K through fifth grade, not part of the St. Johns County school system that serves most of Nocatee's planned residential growth. That geographic reality shapes nearly everything about how the school compares to its surroundings.
The student body is majority Hispanic, with white students making up roughly a quarter of enrollment, and a small share of Black and multiracial students. The school is small for its grade band. A very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, well above what you might expect if you associated this address with the affluent master-planned neighborhoods nearby. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in the data we were provided, so a parent wanting to understand special education or language support services should ask the school directly.
On Florida's FAST assessments for the most recent school year, math proficiency is in the low-to-mid range across tested grades, with third grade sitting below half, and fourth and fifth grades slightly above half. Reading and language arts results are softer, with third and fourth grade proficiency well below half, and fifth grade approaching half. The fifth-grade Florida Statewide Science Assessment shows proficiency at roughly two in five students tested. These numbers are notably below state norms as a whole, and parents weighing academic readiness pathways would benefit from a direct conversation with the school about intervention programs, instructional supports, and how students are tracked and supported through the grade band. Multi-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say from this data whether results are improving, holding, or declining.
Because DeSoto County has only one district, the comparison framework used here cannot position the school meaningfully against county peers. Chronic absenteeism and graduation data are also absent, with the latter expected since this is an elementary school.
The district itself has a couple of publicly reported developments worth knowing. A new high school has been under construction to replace the existing building, which was aging significantly, with the new campus expected to open around fall 2026. For families with children who will eventually reach high school age in this district, that facility upgrade is worth tracking. The district has also publicly reported raising teacher starting salaries above the Florida average, funded without a local surtax, which is an indicator of some investment in classroom staffing stability.
The community context is where the name "Nocatee" draws the most attention. The master-planned Nocatee development, built primarily in St. Johns County, is publicly described as one of the top-selling planned communities in the country, organized around trail systems, a Town Center with walkable shops and restaurants, and a family-skewed resident mix. A major regional park and the area's first public library branch broke ground in spring 2026 and are expected to be complete by summer 2027. The community is nearing residential build-out, with a new K-8 school in the Seabrook area of the St. Johns County side set to open in fall 2026. Housing in the broader Nocatee development spans from the mid-range to well above it across dozens of neighborhoods. Specific housing cost figures for this school's precise attendance zone in DeSoto County were not provided in the data.
A family drawn to the Nocatee name for the community's amenities, walkability, and school reputation should verify carefully which school district and which specific campus their address falls in. The academic profile at this campus differs substantially from what is associated with St. Johns County schools on the Nocatee brand's better-known side. For a family already living in this school's service area, the questions most worth pressing the school on are the specific reading and math intervention structures in place, how progress is tracked in the early grades, and what the school's own account is of its improvement trajectory.
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