Seminole Science Charter School, Lake Mary FL

Original Research by School Decision on Seminole Science Charter School

Seminole Science Charter School sits on US Highway 17-92 in Lake Mary, a city in Seminole County, and serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade. As a public charter school, it draws families who are choosing in, not simply enrolling by address, and that self-selection shapes the environment in ways worth understanding before enrolling.

The school's academic profile is a clear strength. On Florida's FAST assessments, math proficiency across tested grades runs from the mid-seventies into the upper eighties, with the highest results in the later middle school years. ELA proficiency tells a similar story, with most grade levels landing in the high seventies to upper eighties; a dip in the fourth grade ELA results stands out against that otherwise strong pattern, and parents with children at that stage may want to ask the school what it sees in that cohort. Fifth-grade science proficiency, measured on the state's statewide science assessment, comes in somewhat lower than the math and ELA results, still respectable but a softer spot worth noting. Trend data across years was not available, so there is no way from this data to say whether these numbers are rising, holding, or slipping.

The enrollment is moderate for a K-8 school. The student body is notably diverse: white and Asian students each make up roughly a third of enrollment, Hispanic students account for roughly a quarter, and Black and multiracial students fill out the rest. About three in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that places this school in a relatively lower economic-need position compared to many Florida public schools. Data on students with IEPs or English learner status was not reported, so families who need to understand those support structures should ask the school directly.

The school sits within the Seminole County Public Schools district for administrative and policy purposes, even as a charter. Two district-level changes are directly relevant to families. Starting this school year, publicly reported policy now prohibits cell phone use throughout the school day for elementary and middle school students, a day-to-day change families should factor into their routines. And since the 2024-25 school year, publicly reported policy counts AI-assisted work as plagiarism, which sets clear academic-integrity expectations that students here are expected to meet. Voters also recently renewed a countywide infrastructure sales surtax, which provides a continuing funding stream for school improvements, security, and technology across district-affiliated schools.

Housing in the Lake Mary area runs well above both the state and national median home values, and the typical estimated monthly mortgage sits at a level that reflects that premium. Rents, while recently slightly softer year over year, are also elevated. Families relocating specifically for this school should factor in that Seminole County real estate occupies an above-average price tier statewide.

Because Seminole County has only one school district, the comparison set for positioning this school among county peers is too small to yield a meaningful relative ranking, so no peer comparison is available here.

No program offerings data was provided, and the school's website was not included in the data payload, so specifics on science-focused curriculum, enrichment tracks, or extracurriculars are gaps a parent should fill by visiting the school's site or contacting the school directly. Given the "science" branding, families should ask concretely how that theme is expressed across grade levels, since the fifth-grade science proficiency figure alone does not answer that question.

Locale detail for Lake Mary was not gathered in time for this profile, so place-specific context about the neighborhood, walkability, or nearby employers was left out rather than guessed.

The school fits a family that wants a public option with a deliberate theme, a diverse and relatively lower-need peer group, and strong academic results especially in the upper elementary and middle school years, and that can navigate the housing market and the logistics of a choice school enrollment rather than a neighborhood assignment.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 381%

School 81% · District 70% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 481%

School 81% · District 69% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 578%

School 78% · District 46% · ▲ 32 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 774%

School 74% · District 72% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 888%

School 88% · District 33% · ▲ 55 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 58 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 383%

School 83% · District 69% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 470%

School 70% · District 67% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 582%

School 82% · District 64% · ▲ 18 pts above district

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

Grade 676%

School 76% · District 66% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 787%

School 87% · District 63% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 888%

School 88% · District 62% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Science

Grade 568%

School 68% · District 66% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

This schoolSEMINOLE, 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-income64%Higher-income88%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income57%Higher-income75%18 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income63%Higher-income81%18 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income84%Higher-income89%5 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income81%Higher-income91%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income73%Higher-income83%11 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income62%Higher-income89%27 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income62%Higher-income80%18 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income60%Higher-income81%21 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income82%Higher-income92%11 pp gap