The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in Science. The lowest is 34% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Fruitland Park Elementary School
Fruitland Park Elementary sits on West Fountain Street in a small Central Florida city that has held onto a quiet, residential character even as development pressure from The Villages and the US-27 corridor accelerates around it. The school serves children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, which means state testing data covers third through fifth grade only, and there is no graduation rate to report. That is simply how this grade band works.
The academic picture from Florida's FAST assessments and the fifth-grade science exam is one a parent should examine carefully. In reading and language arts, proficiency rates across the tested grades run in the range of roughly a quarter to a little over a third of students meeting standard, with third grade posting the lower end of that range. Math results are somewhat stronger, with third grade approaching half of students proficient, though fifth grade falls well below that. Science at fifth grade lands close to half proficient. These figures sit below where many families would hope to see them, and a parent would be well served by asking the school directly about its instructional approaches, any intervention programs in place, and how it tracks individual student progress over time. Trend data was not available in what was provided, so it is not possible to say whether the school is moving in a positive direction.
The student body is a genuine mix. White students make up a plurality, with Black and Hispanic students together comprising close to half the enrollment. The school draws from a community that includes both retirees and working families, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which tells you this is not a high-income attendance zone. Data on English learner rates and special education enrollment was not available in the provided materials.
Fruitland Park itself is a car-dependent small city, quiet off the commercial strip, with oak-shaded older neighborhoods and a scattering of newer homes. Civic life centers on a library that is part of the Lake County system, city parks with a pool, fields, and walking paths, and Lake Griffin State Park on the edge of town. There is no walkable downtown to speak of; most daily errands and employment happen along the highway corridor or in nearby Leesburg and Lady Lake. The city is publicly reported to be in an active growth phase, with multiple large residential and mixed-use projects approved or moving through review in 2025, which may affect school enrollment in coming years.
On the housing side, home values in the zip code are modestly below Florida's statewide median and have edged slightly downward over the past year, making this one of the more accessible markets in the state for buyers. Rental cost data was not available for this specific zip.
The school is part of Lake County Schools. Voters there renewed a dedicated school safety property tax in 2022, which publicly reported information indicates funds school safety officers, nurses, psychologists, social workers, counselors, and alternative education programs. Lake County commissioners have since voted to place an expanded millage measure on the November 2026 ballot that would add teacher pay and retention funding on top of the existing safety levy; families weighing long-term commitment to the area may want to follow that vote. Florida's statewide cell phone ban during instructional time is in effect at this school as it is across all Florida public schools.
No program offerings data was available for Fruitland Park Elementary specifically. The comparison set for Lake County contains only one district, so peer benchmarking against neighboring districts was not possible.
For a family moving into Fruitland Park, this school offers a diverse peer environment in a growing, affordable small city. The academic proficiency data is a real consideration, and it is worth a direct conversation with school leadership about what supports are in place for children who arrive behind grade level and what the trajectory looks like.
See more original research from School Decision →