The Why
The following statistics, along with many others, drive the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading community partners to work toward solutions to ensure the success of our children.
3rd Grade Reading Proficiency
% of students scoring satisfactory on the Florida State Assessment (FSA) — or earning at least a level 3 score on the five-level exam. This means students are reading as they should based on state standards.
| County | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 57% | 66% | 63% | 69% |
| DeSoto | 35% | 31% | 29% | 34% |
| Manatee | 47% | 50% | 49% | 51% |
| Sarasota | 68% | 71% | 68% | 70% |
Chronic Absenteeism*
% of students missing 21 days or more of the school year
| County | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 6.35% | 7.45% | 7.58% | 9.11% | 10.5% |
| DeSoto | 12.51% | 12.93% | 14.38% | 13.08% | 14.6% |
| Manatee | 12.8% | 13.1% | 12.32% | 9.47% | 11.5% |
| Sarasota | 6.1% | 6.8% | 6.79% | 7.55% | 7.1% |
Number of Children Living In Poverty
| County | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 4,681 | 5,064 | 5,162 | 4,046 |
| DeSoto | 2,840 | 2,817 | 2,817 | 2,505 |
| Manatee | 14,980 | 16,455 | 14,321 | 11,868 |
| Sarasota | 11,135 | 10,322 | 10,529 | 8,780 |
Number of Children Enrolled in VPK – 3rd Grade
2018 – 2019 School Year
| County | VPK | Kindergarten | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 515 | 1,074 | 1,140 | 1,015 | 1,025 |
| DeSoto | 161 | 359 | 354 | 408 | 491 |
| Manatee | 1,311 | 3,438 | 3,626 | 3,581 | 4,013 |
| Sarasota | 469 | 2,815 | 3,095 | 3,123 | 3,241 |
2019 Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS) Results
| Number of Test Takers | Number Ready for Kindergarten | Percentage Ready for Kindergarten | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 975 | 518 | 53% |
| DeSoto | 346 | 95 | 27% |
| Manatee | 3,331 | 1,656 | 50% |
| Sarasota | 2,693 | 1,512 | 56% |