The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in Science. The lowest is 56% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Belcher Elementary School
Belcher Elementary is a public PreK-through-fifth-grade school in Clearwater, sitting within the Pinellas County Schools district. Its enrollment puts it squarely in a typical size range for a Florida elementary school of its grade band. The school draws a predominantly white student population with Hispanic students making up roughly a quarter and Black students a smaller share; several other groups round out a moderately diverse mix. Well over half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, meaning economic need is a real presence in the building. Data on English learner and IEP rates were not available in what was provided.
On state assessments, Belcher's results in 2024-25 are a mixed picture. Third-grade math is a clear strength, with most students testing proficient. Fifth-grade math and fifth-grade science also show solid majority proficiency. Reading and ELA tell a softer story: third-grade ELA proficiency is above the midpoint but drops across grades four and five, with fifth-grade ELA falling below half. These are full-population figures for all students, and parents who want to understand how specific student groups compare may want to ask the school directly. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible from this snapshot alone to say whether results are improving or flat.
One broader context worth knowing: Pinellas County Schools publicly reported earning its first-ever "A" district grade from the Florida Department of Education in 2024, tied to a curriculum overhaul that introduced a custom, science-of-reading-aligned ELA program starting in the early grades and extending through fifth grade. That shift in how reading is taught is now district-wide and would touch Belcher classrooms directly. Whether the approach is already showing up in Belcher's own ELA results is something a parent would want to ask the school, particularly given that fifth-grade reading proficiency is below half.
Families considering the area will find a housing market that has softened modestly from its recent peak, with both home values and rents pulling back over the past year. The local area around the school sits in a mid-Clearwater residential corridor, away from both the downtown waterfront and the beach communities. Home values near the school are roughly in line with the statewide median. Renting is an option, though the cost relative to local incomes still represents a meaningful share of a household budget.
Clearwater itself is a mid-sized Pinellas County city with distinct zones: a compact civic downtown anchored by Cleveland Street and a waterfront currently undergoing its most visible redevelopment in decades, surrounding residential neighborhoods of varying character, and heavily commercial arterial corridors like US 19 and Gulf to Bay Boulevard. Publicly reported sources note the city's downtown has seen a wave of new construction start in late 2025, including a new City Hall, a downtown hotel, and a 28-story apartment tower near the reopened Coachman Park. The city's major employers span IT distribution, aerospace and defense manufacturing, and medical technology. Most daily travel is car-dependent outside the walkable downtown core, and the school's location on Lancaster Drive is in that more typical suburban residential fabric.
In November 2024, Pinellas voters approved renewing and expanding the local school property tax, publicly reported as doubling the prior rate, with proceeds directed toward teacher and staff compensation as well as reading, music, art, and technology programs. For prospective homebuyers in the district, that tax is a real cost to factor in. For families already enrolled or weighing enrollment, it represents a commitment to program stability and staffing that tends to matter in day-to-day school experience.
A graduation rate does not apply here; Belcher serves only through fifth grade. Comparison proficiency data against other districts within Pinellas County was not usable because only one district operates in the county, so no meaningful peer comparison could be made. Civil-rights outcome data, discipline data, attendance figures, and course access details were not available in what was provided.
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