The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in Math. The lowest is 36% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Ballard Elementary School
Ballard Elementary sits on 18th Street West in a central Bradenton neighborhood, serving prekindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Manatee County School District. Its enrollment puts it in a typical size range for an elementary school of its grade span.
The school's student body is racially and ethnically diverse. Hispanic students make up the largest share, followed by Black students and white students, with smaller numbers of Asian and multiracial students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a community where economic need is a defining feature of the school's context. Data on English learner enrollment and students with IEPs were not available in what was provided.
State testing results from Florida's FAST assessments give a mixed picture across grades. In math, third graders came in at roughly the lower-middle range of proficiency, fourth graders landed noticeably lower, and fifth graders performed best among the three tested grades, reaching just above the halfway mark. In ELA, proficiency rates were lower overall: third grade was the weakest point, while fourth and fifth grades reached the upper thirties to low forties. Fifth-grade science results from the Florida Statewide Science Assessment came in at a little over a third of students scoring proficient. Across all tested subjects and grades, fewer than half of students are reaching the state's proficiency threshold. Trend data were not available, so it is not possible to say whether these numbers are moving in any direction. A parent who wants to understand what the school is doing to move these results would be well served asking that question directly.
The housing market around the school reflects Bradenton's current position. Home values in the zip code sit noticeably below the Florida statewide median and also below the national median, and both home prices and rents in the area have edged downward over the past year. Renting is close to parity with buying on a monthly basis, which is unusual in many Florida markets. The rent-to-income ratio, measured against national benchmarks, runs high, a sign that affordability pressure on renting households is real even as prices soften.
Bradenton itself is a mid-sized Gulf Coast city anchored by a compact downtown along the Manatee River. The Village of the Arts, a publicly reported live-work overlay district of early-20th-century bungalows, sits nearby, and the Riverwalk stretches along the river with public art, a skate park, a splash pad, and an amphitheater. The downtown is walkable; the broader city is car-dependent. Major employers include Manatee County Schools, Manatee Memorial Hospital, Tropicana's main production plant, Bealls, the IMG sports academy, and First Watch. Public transit through MCAT currently operates fare-free on fixed routes, running through most of the day on weekdays and Saturdays.
At the district level, Manatee County voters in late 2024 renewed a one-mill property tax referendum that funds teacher salary supplements, extended instructional time each school day, STEM and career-technical programs, early literacy, athletics, and school safety. That renewal matters for what's available at every school in the district, including Ballard. The district has also redrawn elementary and middle school attendance zones in response to enrollment growth, so families considering a move should verify current zone assignments before settling on a neighborhood. High school zones are not being redrawn until 2027-28, when a new high school in Lakewood Ranch is set to open. District-wide, AI-based weapon-detection systems have been installed at all high schools and randomly at middle schools, with referendum funds supporting security staffing at after-school events.
Program details specific to Ballard were not available in the data provided. Title I status was also absent from the record, so that designation could not be confirmed or ruled out. Families would benefit from contacting the school directly about instructional supports, family engagement opportunities, and any targeted programs in place for students working below grade level.
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