The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in Math. The lowest is 38% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Wicklow Elementary School
Wicklow Elementary sits on Placid Lake Drive in Sanford, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in Seminole County Public Schools. The student body is large enough that most grade levels are well-populated, with kindergarten and the early elementary years being the most enrolled. The school draws a student population that is predominantly Hispanic and Black, with white and multiracial students making up smaller shares. A very high proportion of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making Wicklow one of the more economically challenged campuses in what is itself a diverse county district. Data on English learner enrollment and students with IEPs was not available in the records we reviewed.
On the Florida FAST assessments, Wicklow's results in the most recently reported school year tell a mixed but largely concerning story in the tested grades. In third grade, roughly half of students reached math proficiency -- a result that sits closer to the middle of the road. By fourth grade math proficiency had dropped considerably, and by fifth grade it fell to the bottom range of what most Florida elementary schools report. ELA results were fairly flat across third, fourth, and fifth grades, with all three sitting well below the statewide midpoint. Fifth-grade science followed a similar pattern. A parent who cares about early math development in particular will want to ask the school directly what supports are in place for fourth and fifth graders, where the numbers are notably low. There is also a sixth-grade math figure in the data that shows perfect proficiency, almost certainly reflecting a very small number of students tested at that level at an elementary campus, so it should not be read as representative. Multi-year trend data was not available, so there is no way from this data alone to tell whether results are improving, holding, or declining.
No program offerings were reported in the records available, so specific enrichment tracks, language programs, or instructional approaches at Wicklow are a gap worth asking about directly. Graduation rates do not apply here, as the school ends at fifth grade.
For the comparison of Wicklow against peers, the district universe in Seminole County contains only one district, so a meaningful peer comparison was not possible.
The broader Seminole County district context does include a few policy changes families will feel immediately. For the 2025-26 school year, elementary students are prohibited from using cell phones during the school day, consistent with a new state-level push. The district also counts AI-generated schoolwork as plagiarism starting in 2024-25, though that policy matters more in upper grades. Seminole County voters renewed a one-cent infrastructure sales surtax in late 2024, which funds school facility improvements, technology, and security across the district including elementary campuses.
Sanford itself is a city in an active growth phase. Housing prices in the zip code have declined slightly year over year, sitting below the Florida statewide benchmark, which makes the area relatively more accessible than much of the metro. Rents have moved modestly upward. The city is seeing a wave of new residential construction, from workforce townhomes to large apartment developments, and officials publicly acknowledge that rezonings have outpaced actual permits, leaving a significant share of city land still vacant. For families considering a move, this is a neighborhood in transition rather than a settled, static community.
The historic downtown along Lake Monroe is genuinely walkable and active, with farmers markets, festivals, and a waterfront trail system connecting parks and civic spaces. A SunRail commuter station provides regional rail access. The airport, the school district, and Seminole State College anchor local employment. Outside the historic core, the city runs along car-oriented commercial corridors.
Wicklow's academic numbers give a parent real reason to probe further. The school serves a high-need population in a city that is growing and changing quickly, and the proficiency results in the upper elementary grades are low enough that a family weighing enrollment should ask the school specifically what interventions exist for students who are not on grade level in math and reading.
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