Sarasota Suncoast Academy, Sarasota FL

Original Research by School Decision on Sarasota Suncoast Academy

Sarasota Suncoast Academy is a charter school operating in Sarasota's southeastern corridor, serving students from kindergarten through eighth grade. As a charter, it sits within the Sarasota County school system but operates independently, drawing families who have actively chosen it over neighborhood-assigned schools.

Academic performance on Florida's FAST assessments is genuinely strong across the board. In reading and language arts, proficiency rates run well above the midpoint at every tested grade, with the middle school grades performing especially well. Math results are similarly solid, with seventh grade standing out as particularly high. Fifth grade science proficiency is strong; eighth grade science comes in somewhat lower but still comfortably above average. Families looking for consistent academic output across a K-8 span will find this school delivers it. Trend data was not available, so whether scores have been rising, holding, or dipping over time is a gap worth asking the school about directly.

The student body skews predominantly white, with Hispanic students making up the next largest group and smaller numbers of Asian and multiracial students. Fewer than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a lower economic-need share than many Florida public schools. Data on English learner students and those with individualized education programs was not reported, so families with children who need those specific services should ask the school directly how it structures that support.

Enrollment is spread fairly evenly across grade levels, with the school running at a size consistent with what you would expect for a K-8 campus in a mid-sized Florida metro. Program details were not available in the data provided.

The school is located on Hawkins Road in the eastern part of Sarasota, away from the denser downtown and bayfront core. That side of the county has been one of the faster-growing parts of the metro, with master-planned residential development in areas like Skye Ranch and expanding suburban corridors. The surrounding housing market is expensive relative to state and national averages, with typical home values well above Florida's median. Values have come down modestly over the past year, but the market remains out of reach for many buyers without a substantial down payment, and monthly housing costs carry a meaningful premium. Renting is also costly, with local rents absorbing a high share of a typical household's income.

Two district-level changes are worth knowing about. Voters in late 2024 renewed a property tax millage that funds teacher compensation, arts, and career programming through 2030, with charter schools now receiving a proportional share of those dollars. That is a direct funding benefit for Sarasota Suncoast Academy. Separately, the district approved a structural reorganization in late 2025 that converts several elementary schools to K-8 campuses and adds new magnet programming, partly in response to a state law that made it easier for charter operators to co-locate on district campuses. That reorganization affects district-run schools; how it reshapes the competitive and enrollment environment for charters like this one is a reasonable question to bring to the school's enrollment office.

The school has no graduation rate, as it does not serve high school grades. AP coursework and dual enrollment are not applicable here for the same reason. For families whose child will eventually need a ninth-grade pathway, understanding which high schools Suncoast Academy's eighth graders typically transition into would be a practical next step.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 369%

School 69% · District 73% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 471%

School 71% · District 72% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 66% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 684%

School 84% · District 68% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 791%

School 91% · District 73% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 876%

School 76% · District 52% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 373%

School 73% · District 67% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 473%

School 73% · District 67% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 568%

School 68% · District 62% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 678%

School 78% · District 66% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 777%

School 77% · District 65% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 872%

School 72% · District 63% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Science

Grade 579%

School 79% · District 67% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 58% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

This schoolSARASOTA, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income50%Higher-income82%32 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income59%Higher-income77%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income35%Higher-income79%44 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income65%Higher-income84%20 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income68%Higher-income80%12 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income69%Higher-income72%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income50%Higher-income78%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income59%Higher-income76%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income30%Higher-income76%46 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income74%Higher-income88%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income80%Higher-income95%15 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income91%Higher-income73%18 pp gap