The top reported proficiency rate is 32% in Math. The lowest is 16% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Oakcrest Elementary School
Oakcrest Elementary sits in a northeast Ocala neighborhood, serving prekindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within Marion County Public Schools. It is a school with a clear economic profile: a large majority of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making it one of the more economically disadvantaged campuses in the district by that measure. The student body is racially diverse, with Black students forming the largest group, followed by white students, Hispanic students, and smaller shares of other backgrounds.
State testing results from Florida's FAST assessment paint a picture that parents should examine carefully. In reading and language arts, proficiency among tested grades ranges from roughly a third of students in the middle grades down to roughly a quarter in fifth grade. Math tells a similar story, with third grade showing the strongest results among the tested grades, and fifth grade results falling to a low point that is well below state norms. Fifth-grade science results on the Florida Statewide Science Assessment are similarly modest, with only a small fraction of students scoring at the proficient level. Across all three subjects and all tested grades, the proficiency rates sit in the lower range by Florida standards. Because Oakcrest serves only early childhood through fifth grade, there are no graduation rate figures to report and no AP or dual-enrollment pathways here; those metrics simply do not apply to an elementary school.
The comparison data for Marion County is limited to a single district, so a formal within-county peer comparison was not possible with the available data. Multi-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say from the data alone whether results have been moving in a particular direction. A parent wanting to understand how the school's results have changed over time, or what specific supports the school provides for students who are behind grade level, would want to ask those questions directly of the school.
Marion County itself is growing rapidly, publicly reported as one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country. That growth has put pressure on the district's facilities. Voters approved a new half-cent sales tax in late 2024, dedicated to capital needs like school construction and renovation, alongside a separately renewed one-mill property tax that funds school safety, teacher retention, arts, physical education, and vocational programs. Both of these have direct bearing on what families moving to the area will pay in local taxes, and on what resources the district has available for staffing and programs in coming years.
Oakcrest's surrounding neighborhood on the northeast edge of Ocala is part of a broader city that blends a walkable historic downtown core with car-dependent suburban and commercial sprawl. The downtown square, anchored by the Marion County Courthouse, hosts a farmers market, regular live music, and a monthly arts walk, making it a genuine gathering place. Outside that core, daily life is largely auto-oriented. Major employers in the metro include large hospital systems, Lockheed Martin, distribution centers for major retailers, and the equestrian economy anchored by the World Equestrian Center. Housing near the school's zip code sits well below the Florida statewide median, with home values and rents that have softened slightly in the past year, making the area comparatively affordable by state standards.
The specific nature of Oakcrest as a neighborhood elementary school with high poverty concentration and relatively low tested proficiency rates across subjects is the central fact a family would want to sit with. The data does not explain causation, and it carries no verdict. What it does say is that a parent seeking strong measured academic outcomes at the elementary level would want to ask the school directly about its instructional approach, reading intervention programs, and what supports exist for students who are not yet proficient, before drawing conclusions from the test results alone.
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