The reported proficiency rate for Science is 0%.
Original Research by School Decision on Disston Academy
Disston Academy sits on 11th Avenue South in Gulfport, a small, largely built-out waterfront city in Pinellas County that has built an identity around independent culture, arts, and a compact bayfront commercial district rather than chain retail or sprawl. The school is classified as an alternative school within Pinellas County Schools, serving grades five through twelve, though enrollment is concentrated heavily in the high school grades. That classification matters for how a family reads almost everything else here.
Alternative schools in Florida typically serve students whose needs, circumstances, or educational paths differ from what a conventional school provides. Disston's enrollment is small, with the great majority of students in grades nine through twelve and very few in the middle grades. A substantial share of enrolled students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making this one of the higher-poverty student populations in any school setting. The school's racial composition is predominantly Black, with Hispanic and white students making up most of the remainder.
On academic outcomes, the data available is limited precisely because of what Disston is. State testing in Florida targets specific grade levels, and the only result reported here comes from the eighth-grade science assessment, where the handful of students tested showed no proficiency. That is a stark number, and a parent should ask the school directly about what supports are in place for academic skill-building. Trend data and multi-year comparisons are not available. No ELA or math proficiency results were reported. A graduation rate was not available in the data provided. When results are missing from an alternative school like this, it sometimes reflects the small tested population or the school's structure rather than a simple failure to report, but the data here does not explain the gaps further, so it is worth a direct conversation with the school.
No course offerings, staffing ratios, attendance figures, discipline data, or program details were provided. That leaves a parent without a clear picture of what the academic day looks like, what supports students receive, or what pathways exist to completion or beyond. Those are the central questions for any family considering this placement.
The housing market surrounding the school has seen home values soften modestly from recent highs, though the area remains priced above the Florida statewide benchmark. Renting in this zip code runs to roughly a third of the median household income nationally, so the neighborhood is not inexpensive. Gulfport itself, publicly reported as an artsy, LGBTQ-friendly small city with walkable bayfront streets, brick sidewalks, weekly markets, and monthly art walks, reads as a distinctive place to live, though its housing stock and limited inventory mean families choosing this location are competing in a tight market. Stetson University College of Law is the city's most prominent institutional employer; otherwise the local economy runs to small, owner-operated businesses.
At the district level, Pinellas County Schools voters recently approved a renewal and expansion of the local school property tax, a direct and lasting cost for homeowners that also funds teacher bonuses, reading, arts, and technology programs across the district. The district also rolled out a custom science-of-reading ELA curriculum in recent years, publicly reported to have contributed to the district earning its highest state grade in recent memory.
Those district-level investments matter most to families whose children attend conventional schools. For Disston specifically, what a family most needs to know is what the school's model is, whom it is designed to serve, and what the pathway to graduation looks like. The data here does not answer those questions, and a visit or direct inquiry with the school is the necessary next step before drawing any conclusions.
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