The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in Math. The lowest is 49% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Eastside Elementary School
Eastside Elementary sits on Arroyo Avenue in Clewiston, a small agricultural city on the southwestern shore of Lake Okeechobee that has built its identity around sugarcane. The school serves prekindergarten through fifth grade, so there are no graduation rate or middle or high school metrics to report here. Florida's FAST assessments cover grades three through five, and Eastside's results from the most recent year give a reasonably clear picture of where the school's students are landing academically.
Math is the stronger subject. Third graders tested in the solid majority proficient range, and fourth and fifth graders did better still, with fifth grade reaching the highest point of any tested group at the school. These are genuinely encouraging numbers for a school serving a community with significant economic pressures. Reading and ELA tell a somewhat different story. Third grade ELA proficiency came in just above half of students, and while fourth and fifth grades improved from that starting point, the upper grades still left a meaningful share of students below the proficiency threshold. A parent whose child is approaching or entering third grade, particularly one who reads at or below grade level, may want to ask the school specifically what early literacy interventions are in place. The fifth-grade state science assessment showed roughly half of students reaching proficiency, which is worth noting and worth asking about.
The student body is largely Hispanic, with Black students making up a substantial secondary group and a smaller share of white students. The great majority of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which places Eastside among schools serving communities with concentrated economic need. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available in the data provided, which is a gap worth probing directly with the school given that Clewiston's sugarcane economy draws a significant farmworker population. The enrollment is mid-sized for an elementary school spanning this many grade levels, including a prekindergarten cohort that adds meaningfully to the total.
Because Hendry County has only one district, no peer comparison across county districts is possible from this data set.
Clewiston itself is a practical, unhurried place. U.S. Sugar Corporation is the dominant economic engine, farming vast acreage across several surrounding counties and running its own short-line railroad. The downtown is compact and functions more as a service center than a social hub, though community life does coalesce around the annual Sugar Festival and around Lake Okeechobee, where fishing, boating, and the paved trail atop the Herbert Hoover Dike are the main outdoor draws. Publicly reported accounts describe residents valuing the slow pace and ease of getting around while wishing for more dining and entertainment options.
Housing in the area sits well below both state and national median home values, making it one of the more affordable markets in Florida at current prices, though values have been rising. Two new residential developments are planned on the east side of town on land rezoned by U.S. Sugar, which would add a substantial number of homes to the existing stock. Families building new in Hendry County should be aware that the school board approved residential construction impact fees in early 2024, specifically to address enrollment growth that is reportedly among the fastest-generating in the state. That fee applies to new builds, not existing home purchases.
At the district level, the headline capital project is a new LaBelle High School, the first new school built in the county in close to three decades, with a groundbreaking in 2026 and an opening targeted for the class of 2027. LaBelle is the county seat, separate from Clewiston, but the new facility will serve Hendry County families broadly and signals that the district is investing in its infrastructure after a long stretch without major construction.
Trend data for Eastside across multiple years was not available, so it is not possible to say whether the current proficiency picture represents improvement, stability, or decline.
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