The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in Science. The lowest is 39% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Sparr Elementary School
Sparr Elementary serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Anthony, an unincorporated rural community in northeastern Marion County, roughly ten miles northeast of Ocala. The school sits along what locals call Jacksonville Road, in a setting that is more pasture and ranch than suburb. Anthony has no downtown, no walkable commercial center, and no local transit. Families here are predominantly homeowners, and the everyday environment is quiet and agricultural, set within what is publicly described as Ocala's horse country. Civic life anchors around Anthony Community Park, the Anthony Woman's Club, and the school itself.
The enrollment is mid-sized for an elementary school, drawing children from pre-K through fifth grade. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a community where economic need is widespread. The school's racial and ethnic composition is majority white, with meaningful shares of Black and Hispanic students and a smaller multiracial population. Data on English learner rates and students with IEPs was not available in the records used here, so parents who want to understand those support structures should ask the school directly.
On Florida's FAST assessments, the most recent results show that fewer than half of students in each tested grade reached proficiency in both reading and math. In third and fourth grade, math and ELA proficiency rates sit roughly at the same level, and fifth grade math runs noticeably lower still. Fifth-grade science proficiency is modestly higher than the reading or math results for that year, though still below the majority. These are below-average results by statewide standards, and they have been consistent across grades. The data does not include prior-year results, so trend information is not available. A parent wanting to understand what the school is doing to move these numbers would be well served asking the principal directly.
No program offerings were listed in the data for this school, so any information about enrichment, tutoring structures, or intervention programs would need to come from the school itself.
The housing market in the area around Sparr Elementary reflects home values that sit close to the statewide median, though local prices have dipped modestly over the past year while the national market has held roughly flat. Rental cost data was not available for this specific area. Monthly mortgage costs at current rates would require a meaningful income to sustain comfortably. For families considering a move into the attendance zone, Anthony's character as an owner-occupied, low-density rural community means the housing stock skews toward single-family homes, ranches, and acreage properties rather than apartments or subdivisions.
Two recent ballot measures are worth knowing for any family putting down roots. Marion County voters approved a half-cent sales tax in late 2024, dedicated to school capital needs over a multi-year span. The district has publicly described plans for several new schools and new building wings to address rapid county-wide enrollment growth. This is meaningful context: Marion County has been absorbing substantial population growth, and the capital investment is the system's response to that pressure. Separately, voters renewed a one-mill property tax in 2022 that runs through mid-2027, funding school safety, arts, music, physical education, library, and vocational programs, as well as teacher and paraprofessional retention. Both measures directly affect what resources the district can put into classrooms.
The comparison data was not sufficient to position Sparr Elementary's performance against other schools in Marion County, as the county has only one district for comparison purposes and the metrics were not applicable at that scale.
For a family drawn to a genuinely rural, small-community setting close to Ocala, Sparr Elementary is the local school for Anthony. The academic results are an honest soft spot in the picture, and a parent who prioritizes strong tested-subject proficiency from the earliest grades may want to look into what specific academic supports the school offers and how performance has shifted over time.
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