The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in English language arts. The lowest is 20% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Electa Lee Magnet Middle School
Electa Lee Magnet Middle School sits on the west side of Bradenton, serving sixth through eighth graders in a regular public middle school setting within the Manatee County School District. The "magnet" name is part of its identity, though the data provided does not specify what magnet theme or focus the school uses to differentiate itself; families considering the school for that reason would want to ask the district directly.
The school enrolls a sizable student body for a middle school. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a high-need economic profile. Demographically, Hispanic students make up the largest share of enrollment, followed by white and Black students, with smaller multiracial and Asian populations. Data on English learner rates and students receiving special education services were not available in what was provided.
State testing results from Florida's FAST assessments paint a clear picture that parents should look at carefully. Across all three grade levels in both English language arts and math, proficiency rates are well below where most families would hope to see them, and well below typical statewide middle school benchmarks. Math proficiency in sixth grade is particularly low, with higher grades showing modest but still limited shares of students reaching proficiency. ELA results hold roughly flat across all three grades, also at a low level. The eighth-grade science assessment result follows a similar pattern. These are reported figures, not trend data, because multi-year trend comparisons were not available. A parent who wants to understand whether the school is improving, holding steady, or declining would need to ask the district or consult prior-year state reports directly.
One structural note: because Manatee County has only one district, the county comparison set could not be used to position Electa Lee against its neighbors in a meaningful way.
What happens outside the school matters to any family choosing where to live. The housing market around Electa Lee's zip code has seen home values fall meaningfully over the past year, tracking well below the Florida statewide median and coming in below the national median as well. Rents have also dropped. Rent absorbs a disproportionate share of typical household income in this area, which reflects the affordability strain common to coastal Florida. The decline in prices may create an entry point for buyers, though mortgage costs at current rates remain a stretch relative to incomes.
Bradenton itself is Manatee County's seat, a city with a walkable downtown along the Manatee River, a live-work arts district, the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, and a public market running through spring. The broader city is car-dependent beyond that core. Publicly reported sources note that the metro area has seen rapid apartment construction, and the school district rezoned its elementary and middle schools in response to significant enrollment growth, so a family's assigned school could be affected by where they settle. New high school attendance zones are coming later, tied to a new high school currently under construction in the eastern part of the county.
The district's voters recently renewed a property tax referendum that, according to publicly reported accounts, funds teacher salary supplements, extra daily instructional time, STEM and career programs, arts, athletics, early literacy, and school safety. The district has also installed AI-based weapon detection systems at all high schools and selectively at middle schools, a change driven by security incidents in a prior school year.
For a family weighing Electa Lee specifically, the academic performance data as reported warrants a direct conversation with the school about what supports are in place for students who enter below grade level, what the magnet program actually provides, and what trajectory the school is on. The broader Bradenton context offers genuine community anchors and a district making infrastructure investments, but the school-level numbers are where a parent's questions should start.
See more original research from School Decision →