The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Math. The lowest is 22% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Oakcrest Elementary School
Oakcrest Elementary sits on Hollywood Avenue in Pensacola, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Escambia County district. The school draws a student body that is majority Black and Hispanic, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, making it one of the more economically disadvantaged campuses in the area. Specific data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in the data we reviewed.
On Florida's state assessments, Oakcrest's academic performance is well below state averages across tested grades and subjects. Reading proficiency in the tested grades is low, with the share of students scoring proficient ranging from roughly one in five to about one in four across third, fourth, and fifth grade. Math results are somewhat stronger but still modest, with third and fourth graders performing better than fifth graders, where fewer than half of students reached proficiency. Fifth-grade science proficiency is also low, with fewer than a third of students reaching that bar. Multi-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say from this data whether results are improving, holding steady, or declining. Parents who want to understand what the school is doing to move these numbers should ask directly, as the data here does not explain the drivers.
No information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, or specific program offerings was available for Oakcrest. Because this is a pre-K through fifth-grade school, graduation rate data does not apply.
The neighborhood housing market around the school sits well below both the state and national median home value. Rents are comparatively modest as well, with rent consuming a portion of income that remains below the national affordability stress threshold, and a home purchase here would require a much smaller monthly mortgage than a comparable purchase elsewhere in Florida. Home values in this zip code have been essentially flat over the past year. For a family buying in to be near this school, the entry price is genuinely accessible by Florida standards.
Pensacola as a city is in a period of growth. Downtown, a short distance from the school's neighborhood, is seeing sustained investment: new residential construction, a major streetscape overhaul of Palafox Street designed to improve walkability, and a growing retail and restaurant scene anchored by the historic Palafox corridor, Seville Square, and the Community Maritime Park waterfront. The city's economy leans on the military presence at Naval Air Station Pensacola, large healthcare employers, and Navy Federal Credit Union. The West Florida Public Libraries operate seven branches countywide, and public transit via ECAT covers fixed routes and paratransit.
At the district level, a few things are worth knowing. Voters recently renewed the half-cent school sales tax through the late 2020s, which is publicly reported to fund construction, renovations, and technology across Escambia County schools. That sustained capital stream can matter for facility quality over time. Separately, the Escambia school board has removed hundreds of library titles in recent years, including well-known works of literature, under both state-directed lists and updated board policy; families with strong views on library access and reading variety should factor this in. The district is also in the middle of a governance question: voters are being asked again whether to elect or appoint the superintendent, which means the structure of district leadership could shift depending on ballot outcomes.
For a family weighing Oakcrest specifically, the honest picture is a school with documented academic challenges across all tested subjects, serving a high-need population in an affordable neighborhood within a growing city. Families who are considering enrollment may want to ask the school directly about its literacy and math intervention programs, how it supports students performing below grade level, and what its trajectory looks like over recent years, since that trend data was not available here.
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