The Data

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. Aiding in this work, the Florida Chamber of Commerce published The Florida Gap Map — a first in the nation interactive tool identifying equity gaps in poverty and education — which visualizes equity gaps, including the third grade reading scores for every public school in Florida and childhood poverty rates in each of Florida’s 983 zip codes. The Florida Gap Map shows where the important work of the Business Alliance for Early learning intersects with the Prosperity Initiative. To access the Florida Gap Map and learn more about third grade reading scores and childhood poverty rates in your own zip code and neighborhood, please visit: www.TheFloridaGapMap.org.
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% |