The top reported proficiency rate is 40% in Science. The lowest is 32% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on C. A. Weis Elementary School
C. A. Weis Elementary sits on North Q Street in Pensacola's west side, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Escambia County district. The school's enrollment is mid-sized for its grade band, and its student body is predominantly Black, with smaller shares of Hispanic, white, and multiracial students. The vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places Weis among the higher-poverty elementary schools in the state by that measure. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in what we reviewed.
State testing results from Florida's FAST assessments and the fifth-grade science exam tell a consistent story: proficiency rates across every tested grade and subject fall well below what Florida reports as its statewide midpoint. In reading, fewer than four in ten students in any tested grade scored at grade level, and math results follow a similar pattern. Science proficiency at fifth grade was comparable to the upper end of the math range but still modest. These figures apply to the most recently reported school year and represent a real gap that parents considering Weis should understand and ask the school about directly, particularly what supports are in place for students who are below grade level. Trend data across prior years was not available, so it is not possible to say whether results have been improving, declining, or holding steady.
There are no program offerings on record in the data we reviewed, so this narrative cannot speak to arts, enrichment, dual-language, or other specialty programs that may exist at the school. Families would want to ask the school directly about what is offered outside core instruction.
The neighborhood around Weis is part of Pensacola's residential west side, a short distance from the city's historic downtown corridor. Pensacola itself is a growing city anchored economically by Naval Air Station Pensacola, Navy Federal Credit Union, and several large healthcare systems. Downtown is undergoing sustained investment, with new housing, walkability improvements along Palafox Street, and an active civic scene built around waterfront parks and a library system with multiple branches. The housing market in the zip code serving Weis runs well below both the Florida statewide median and the national median, making the area relatively accessible for buyers and renters compared to much of the state. Rents have risen modestly over the past year.
At the district level, Escambia County voters in late 2024 publicly renewed a half-cent sales tax dedicated to school construction, renovations, and technology, locking in that funding stream for years ahead. The district has also adopted restrictive materials policies, publicly reported to have resulted in the removal of hundreds of books from school libraries, including some widely taught literary titles. That policy is worth understanding before enrolling, since it shapes what reading material students can access in school media centers. A separate governance question, whether the district will return to electing its superintendent rather than appointing one, was placed before voters in mid-2025, and the outcome will affect how district leadership is held accountable going forward.
For a family living in the school's attendance zone, the most pressing questions are practical ones: what does the school offer beyond core academics, what interventions exist for students who are not yet at grade level, and how does the school community function day to day. The academic data signals that this is a school operating in a high-need environment where the gap between current performance and grade-level expectations is wide. A parent would do well to visit, speak with current families, and ask the principal directly how reading and math support is structured.
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