The top reported proficiency rate is 76% in Math. The lowest is 74% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Palencia Elementary School
Palencia Elementary sits in the Palencia Village development on the north side of St. Augustine, a planned residential community that reflects the broader growth story of St. Johns County. The school serves children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the St. Johns County School District, drawing from what is publicly reported as one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States.
The academic picture here is largely strong, with some unevenness worth examining by grade. On Florida's FAST assessments, third-grade math stands out: the vast majority of third graders tested proficient, a genuinely impressive result that places the school well above what most elementary schools achieve. Third-grade reading is also well above typical levels. Performance in fourth and fifth grades in both math and ELA is solidly above the midpoint but noticeably lower than the third-grade peak, which is a pattern a parent may want to ask the school about directly. Fifth-grade science proficiency is healthy, placing most students at or above the state standard. On the overall proficiency index across subjects and grades, Palencia Elementary sits at the top of the comparison set relative to districts in St. Johns County, essentially tied for the highest position in that two-district county. Grade-six results were suppressed, which is not unusual given the school's stated grade band ends at fifth grade; a small number of sixth-grade students may appear in the data for administrative reasons, but the school does not meaningfully serve that grade.
Enrollment is mid-sized for an elementary school and skews toward the kindergarten-through-fifth-grade range; the pre-kindergarten enrollment appears to be zero based on available data. The student body is predominantly white, with Hispanic students making up roughly one in nine children, and smaller shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. A relatively small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a predominantly economically stable family base. Data on students with IEPs or English learner designations was not available in the provided records.
The housing market around this school warrants direct attention for anyone considering a move. Home values in the immediate zip code are well above the Florida state median and well above the national median, and a typical mortgage on a home at current prices would consume a substantial share of a household's monthly budget. Rents are also elevated. Values have softened modestly year over year, but this remains an expensive zip code relative to state benchmarks. Two voter-approved funding measures add to the carrying cost: a one-mill property tax passed in November 2024 to fund teacher and staff pay, school safety, and programs including science, art, and music; and a renewed half-cent capital sales surtax that runs through the late 2030s, directing funds to new school construction, maintenance, and technology. Both passed with voter support and are now baked into the cost of living in the district.
St. Johns County and St. Augustine are in an active growth phase. New residential construction is ongoing, apartment projects are moving through county review, and the city's historic downtown is undergoing a redesign of its main commercial street. Day-to-day life in St. Augustine offers an unusual combination: a walkable, densely layered historic core with cobblestone streets, pedestrian-only shopping, and an active waterfront, alongside newer suburban subdivisions like Palencia that sit further from that downtown character. Major employers in the area span defense and aerospace manufacturing, healthcare, higher education, and tourism.
No program-specific offerings data was available for Palencia Elementary beyond what the state assessment records imply about curriculum. Chronic absenteeism and graduation rate data are not applicable here; absenteeism data was not reported, and graduation rates apply only to high school completers. Multi-year trend data was not available, so whether current performance represents an improvement or a plateau cannot be assessed from these records alone.
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