The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in Science. The lowest is 69% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Osceola Elementary School
Osceola Elementary sits on its own named road in St. Augustine, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the St. Johns County School District. The enrollment is sizeable for an elementary school, with students spread fairly evenly across grade levels from PreK through fifth grade. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this school toward the higher end of economic need relative to what many people associate with St. Johns County overall. The school's racial and ethnic composition is majority white, with Black students making up a meaningful share of enrollment, followed by Hispanic students and smaller groups across other categories. Data on English learner rates and students with IEPs were not available in the information we reviewed, so a parent with questions about those specific supports would want to ask the school directly.
On academics, Florida's FAST assessments give the clearest picture available. In third grade, both reading and math results are strong, sitting well above what the statewide comparison context would suggest as typical for a school serving a majority economically disadvantaged population. Math proficiency in third grade is the school's highest-performing result. Reading in fourth grade is the softest spot in the data, noticeably lower than the other grades and subjects, and a parent whose child is entering or in that grade may want to ask about how the school approaches reading instruction in that transition year. Fifth-grade reading and math land in a similar range to each other, and fifth-grade science proficiency is solid. Taken together, across all tested grades and subjects, Osceola's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint among the districts in St. Johns County, a comparison set that includes only two districts. Trend data was not available, so whether these results represent an improvement, a plateau, or a decline cannot be determined from the current data.
No programs data was available for this school, so specific enrichment, intervention, or specialty offerings are not something this profile can speak to.
St. Augustine itself is a city with a distinct identity shaped by its colonial history and an active tourism economy, but also by genuine population growth. St. Johns County is among the fastest-growing counties in the country, and that growth shows up in housing. Home values near this school's zip code are in a range broadly comparable to the statewide median and slightly below the national median, though they have dipped modestly over the past year. Rents are essentially flat. Buying near this school does carry a real housing cost that families should price carefully, and the monthly mortgage estimate relative to income runs on the higher side nationally. The estimated rent-to-income ratio is also worth attention for renters.
Two funding measures voters approved in late 2024 are directly relevant to families considering this school. A new property tax increase dedicated to school operations passed with broad support, publicly reported as directing a large share of proceeds toward teacher and staff salaries, with the remainder going to school safety, nurses, mental-health counselors, and programs like art, music, science, and athletics. A homebuyer in the district takes on this ongoing cost, and the reasoning behind it, competitive teacher pay in a growing district, is straightforward. Separately, voters renewed the district's half-cent capital sales surtax, which funds new construction, maintenance, and technology. Both measures reflect a district actively managing the pressures of rapid enrollment growth.
For a family weighing where to enroll a young child in St. Augustine, Osceola Elementary offers reading and math results that hold up well compared to Florida schools serving similar populations. The fourth-grade reading result is worth a follow-up conversation with the school.
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