The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in Science. The lowest is 47% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on South Daytona Elementary School
South Daytona Elementary sits on Elizabeth Place in South Daytona, a small, largely residential city hugging the Halifax River just south of Daytona Beach. The school serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Volusia County district.
The enrollment is substantial for a neighborhood elementary school, spread fairly evenly across grade levels from kindergarten through fifth grade with a pre-K cohort as well. The student body is racially and ethnically mixed: white students make up the largest share, followed by Black students, Hispanic students, and a meaningful portion of students identifying as two or more races. The most defining economic characteristic is that a very high proportion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, well above what you would call a typical rate, which signals a community where many families are navigating real financial pressure. Data on English learner enrollment and students with IEPs were not available in the data provided.
State testing results come from Florida's FAST assessments and the Statewide Science Assessment for the 2024-25 school year. In reading and math, third graders scored below half proficient, which is the weakest point in the school's tested results and something a parent would reasonably want to ask the school about directly. Fourth and fifth graders showed more ground: both subjects in those grades came in right around or just above half of students reaching proficiency, and fifth-grade science came in at roughly the same level. The overall picture is that most tested grades land in the lower half of proficiency by Florida's standard, without a strong grade where results stand clearly apart. Trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say whether scores are moving up, holding steady, or declining. The neighbor comparison set identified only a single district in Volusia County, so a meaningful peer comparison could not be produced from that framework.
Program offerings are limited in the data provided. The one extracurricular activity documented is a Girls on the Run Club, which is a running and social-emotional program for girls. No additional enrichment, gifted, arts, or other specialized programming was listed, though the school website may carry more.
The surrounding community shapes the context meaningfully. South Daytona is a car-dependent small city, though residents have noted walkable sidewalks within its neighborhoods. Civic life runs along the Ridgewood Avenue corridor and through scattered parks like Reed Canal and Riverfront Park rather than any concentrated downtown. The broader labor market draws from county-wide anchors including Halifax Health, Daytona State College, and Volusia County Schools, with a handful of nationally known companies headquartered nearby in Daytona Beach proper. South Daytona's own growth pattern reads as incremental, with modest commercial redevelopment along U.S. 1 rather than large new residential expansion.
Housing in the zip code is priced well below Florida's statewide median home value, and rents are also meaningfully below the state norm, which makes this among the more accessible markets along the Florida coast. Both home values and rents have edged slightly downward over the past year, so buyers and renters are not facing an accelerating market at the moment. Affordability in rent-to-income terms sits in a range that leaves room for other household expenses, which is less common in many Florida coastal communities.
For families weighing this school, the economic context of the student population and the current proficiency levels across tested grades are the clearest things to weigh carefully. A parent who wants to understand how the school is supporting students showing early gaps, what reading intervention looks like in the primary grades, and whether any additional programs are available beyond what appears here would benefit from a direct conversation with the school.
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