The top reported proficiency rate is 79% in Math. The lowest is 72% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on B.d. Gullett Elementary School
B.D. Gullett Elementary sits at the eastern edge of Bradenton, in a part of Manatee County that has been absorbing substantial residential growth. The school serves prekindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Manatee County School District. Its enrollment is large for an elementary school, reflecting the rapid population expansion in this corridor.
On Florida's FAST assessments, Gullett posts strong results across most tested grades. Third-grade reading and math proficiency rates both land comfortably above the state midpoint, and fifth-grade reading and math results are similarly solid. Fifth-grade science proficiency, on the statewide science assessment, is also well above what many Florida elementaries report. Fourth grade shows somewhat softer numbers in both reading and math, a dip worth asking the school about, though the overall picture across grades remains clearly positive. A small sixth-grade math cohort reported full proficiency, but that group is likely too small to carry much interpretive weight on its own. Multi-year trend data was not available in the data provided, so it is not possible to characterize whether performance has been rising or holding steady.
The student body is predominantly white, with Hispanic students making up the next largest group and smaller shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is well below the state and national averages for public elementary schools, pointing to a relatively affluent enrollment. Data on students with IEPs and English learners was not reported, so families with children in those categories may want to ask the school directly about supports and services available.
Program information was not available in the data, so it is not possible to describe specific enrichment, arts, or intervention offerings. Parents interested in gifted programming, reading intervention, or extracurricular activities should contact the school.
The surrounding zip code carries home values that are meaningfully above Florida's statewide median and well above national figures, though those values have dipped modestly year over year. Rents are also elevated relative to state and national norms, and a price-to-income ratio that runs well above the national average signals real affordability pressure for households buying into this area. Renters and buyers alike will find the east Bradenton market has priced in the growth premium that comes with new construction and high-rated schools.
That growth has direct consequences for district families. Manatee County has recently redrawn elementary and middle school attendance zones in response to surging enrollment, meaning the school a child attends today could change. Families choosing where to live should confirm current zone boundaries with the district. A new high school, Rangeland High, is under construction nearby in Lakewood Ranch and is set to open in the 2027-28 school year, which will also trigger a separate round of high school rezoning affecting families in this part of the county.
District voters renewed a one-mill property tax referendum in late 2024, which publicly reported sources say funds teacher salary supplements, an added block of daily instruction time, STEM and career-technical programs, arts, athletics, early literacy initiatives, and school safety measures. That levy shows up in property-tax bills but also directly supports what is available to students. The district has also installed AI-based weapon-detection systems at all high schools and randomly at middle schools, funded partly through referendum dollars.
Bradenton itself, as the county seat of Manatee County, offers a walkable downtown along the Manatee River with cultural venues, a public market, and civic anchors including the Bishop Museum and the Manatee Performing Arts Center. The broader city is more auto-dependent outside the downtown core, and the eastern neighborhoods around Gullett are suburban in character. Public transit coverage exists through Manatee County Area Transit, which has operated fixed routes fare-free under a pilot program, though coverage in the eastern growth areas is limited compared to central Bradenton.
Gullett is a strong academic fit for families drawn to high proficiency rates in a growing, relatively affluent suburban community. The trade-offs are a competitive housing market, attendance boundaries that are actively in flux, and a school size that reflects a district managing rapid expansion.
See more original research from School Decision →