The top reported proficiency rate is 47% in Math. The lowest is 45% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Williston Elementary School
Williston Elementary School sits on South Main Street in Williston, the largest city in Levy County, serving children in third through fifth grade. It is a regular public school within the Levy County School District. The school draws from a town that is genuinely in transition: once a quietly agricultural small city, Williston has attracted new housing construction from national builders and a steady flow of families priced out of Gainesville and Ocala, both within a comfortable drive. That growth context means the school's enrollment may continue to shift in the years ahead.
The student body is moderately large for an upper-elementary school of this grade band. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the broader community. The school's racial and ethnic composition is mixed, with white students making up roughly half the enrollment, Hispanic students a sizable share, and Black students and students of two or more races also present in meaningful numbers. Data on English learner enrollment and students with IEPs was not reported in the materials available here; parents with children in either category will want to ask the school directly about services.
On the Florida FAST assessments, which are the state's current standardized measures, proficiency rates across all three grades and both reading and math come in below the midpoint. Third grade math is the strongest result, with roughly half of tested students reaching proficiency, and scores in both ELA and math decline as grade level rises. By fifth grade, fewer than half of students are proficient in ELA and only about two in five in math. The fifth-grade science assessment, administered through the Florida Statewide Science Assessment, lands in a similar range. These are statewide comparisons, and a parent should be aware that year-to-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say from the data alone whether results are improving or holding flat. Asking the school about instructional supports and intervention programs for students who are not yet at grade level would be worthwhile.
No program or course access data was included in the materials for this school, which is typical for an elementary campus; AP, dual enrollment, and career pathways do not apply at this grade band. Discipline and attendance data were also not reported here. A graduation rate does not apply, as the school ends at fifth grade.
The comparison framework for this school includes only one district in Levy County, so a meaningful peer comparison against neighboring districts was not possible from the data on hand.
Williston itself is a genuinely specific place to understand before choosing to live there. Publicly reported sources describe it as having a sparse suburban and rural feel, with most residents owning their homes. The downtown along Main Street retains historic storefronts and a library housed in a former bank building, though a number of those commercial spaces sit vacant. Day-to-day commercial life runs along the US 27 and US 41 corridor. The city's parks include a downtown event space at Heritage Park, a nature trail park, and a sports complex. There is no fixed-route public transit. Housing values in the area currently sit below the Florida statewide median, and prices have edged slightly downward over the past year, making this one of the more affordable entry points for buyers within commuting range of Gainesville. New subdivisions, including activity in the Williston Highlands area, signal continued development pressure.
For the Levy County district more broadly, the publicly reported change most relevant to families right now was a 2024 decision to keep Cedar Key School open on its island campus rather than busing those students inland to Chiefland. That decision affects families in the coastal part of the county specifically; for families zoned to Williston Elementary, it is background context rather than a direct change.
What the data points toward for a family considering Williston Elementary is a school in an affordable, growing rural town, with a student population that reflects real economic diversity, and with test scores that are below state midpoints across grades and subjects. Parents who value smaller-town proximity and lower housing costs may find the community a reasonable fit; those with academic intervention needs for their children should probe the school's support structures before deciding.
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