The top reported proficiency rate is 79% in Science. The lowest is 68% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Northwest Elementary School
Northwest Elementary sits in a residential stretch of St. Petersburg's northwest side, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Pinellas County Schools district. Its enrollment puts it in a mid-sized range for a Florida K-5 school. The student body is racially and ethnically mixed, with white students making up roughly half of enrollment, Hispanic and Black students together accounting for a substantial share, and smaller populations of Asian and multiracial students. More than six in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which marks a relatively high concentration of economic need. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in the information we reviewed.
On Florida's FAST assessments, the school's most recent results across third through fifth grade show proficiency in math hovering in the high sixties across all three tested grades, and ELA proficiency running similarly, with third grade reading at the top of that range and fourth grade at the lower end. The fifth-grade science result stands out as the strongest single data point, with nearly four in five students scoring proficient on the Florida Statewide Science Assessment. Taken together, these numbers suggest a school performing credibly, though a parent who wants to understand how these rates compare to the state average or to other Pinellas elementary schools would need to look further, as the comparison data available to us was not usable for this school due to the county having only one district. Trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say whether proficiency has been rising or holding steady.
One relevant district context: Pinellas County Schools publicly reported earning a state grade of "A" from the Florida Department of Education in 2024, described as a first in district history, and the district attributes meaningful gains in part to a custom-built core ELA curriculum built around Florida's B.E.S.T. standards and a structured literacy approach grounded in the science of reading. That curriculum runs K through 5, and a word study component was added for the upper elementary grades. For parents of young readers, this is a concrete and relatively recent shift in how early literacy is taught across the system.
The district also went to voters in November 2024 and won renewal and expansion of its local-option school property tax, doubling the prior rate. Publicly reported accounts indicate the funds go toward teacher and support-staff bonuses and toward programs in reading, music, art, and technology. For a family buying a home in the area, this is a real ongoing cost to factor in; for families already in the district, it represents a commitment to sustaining the staffing and program offerings that depend on that funding.
St. Petersburg itself is a city in an active growth phase. The northwest residential neighborhoods around the school are not the downtown core, which sits a few miles away and is going through a generational redevelopment. The broader housing market shows home values near or slightly above the Florida state median, with year-over-year prices softening modestly. Rents have been relatively flat over the past year. The city has an extensive downtown waterfront park system, a recently renovated main library, and a transit network that includes bus rapid transit connecting downtown to the beaches. Major employers include Raymond James Financial, Jabil, and health systems such as Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, alongside a cluster of marine and life sciences institutions.
Discipline data, chronic absenteeism rates, and attendance figures were not available in the information provided. Course access and staffing data were also absent. A parent wanting a full picture of the school environment, beyond what test scores and demographics convey, would benefit from a direct conversation with the school.
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