The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Math. The lowest is 31% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Sunrise Elementary School
Sunrise Elementary sits in the Marion Oaks area of Ocala, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade within Marion County Public Schools. It is a sizeable school for its grade band, and its student body is notably diverse: Hispanic students make up roughly half the enrollment, Black students account for more than a quarter, and white students are the third-largest group. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a higher-economic-need category common to many elementary schools in this part of Florida. Data on English learner and special education populations were not available in what we received.
On Florida's FAST assessments, Sunrise's proficiency rates across third through fifth grade in both math and ELA land in a range that sits below the midpoint one would hope to see. In math, fourth grade shows the strongest result, while fifth grade is noticeably lower. ELA scores are fairly consistent across the three tested grades, hovering in a range where fewer than half of students are reaching proficiency. The fifth-grade science assessment, administered as the Florida Statewide Science Assessment, also shows results where a majority of students did not reach proficiency. Trend data across years was not available, so it is not possible to say whether scores have been moving up, down, or staying flat. Parents who want to understand what the school is doing to close these gaps would be well-served to ask directly, since the data alone does not tell the story of what support structures or instructional approaches are in place.
For context, Marion County is one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country, publicly reported sources confirm, with new residents arriving at a steady pace each week and enrollment in Marion County Public Schools having grown substantially over recent years. That growth pressure is real for any family thinking about school capacity and staffing. In response, voters approved a half-cent sales tax in late 2024 dedicated to school construction, expansion, and maintenance, with the district planning several new schools and additional wings over the coming years. Separately, a one-mill property tax renewal passed in 2022 funds classroom staffing, school safety, and programs including art, music, physical education, reading, and vocational education through mid-2027. Those two funding decisions together mean that families moving into the area now are paying into a tax base that is actively building toward long-term capacity, which matters given how quickly the surrounding subdivisions are filling in.
The housing market around Sunrise's zip code reflects Ocala's broader affordability relative to the state. Home values in the area run well below the Florida statewide median, and have dipped modestly year over year. Rents are also slightly off their recent highs. Mortgage carrying costs and rent-to-income ratios both sit in a range that is more accessible than most of coastal Florida, which is part of what draws families to this corridor in the first place.
Ocala itself is more than its growth story. The city has a walkable historic downtown square built around the Marion County Courthouse, with locally owned restaurants, a weekly farmers market, and a regular live music schedule on weekend evenings. Outside that core, the metro is largely car-dependent, with commercial corridors, distribution hubs near the interstate, and the horse farms and equestrian facilities that give the region its identity. Major employers span healthcare, aerospace manufacturing, logistics, and the World Equestrian Center, which is actively expanding with hotels, retail, and additional facilities.
For a family weighing Sunrise specifically, the academic performance picture warrants a closer conversation with the school. The results as reported are modest, and given the absence of trend data, a parent may want to ask the school directly how it tracks student growth over time and what interventions are in place for students who are not yet at grade level.
See more original research from School Decision →