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Spanish springs entrance arch the villages floridaPhoto: Connor J. Williams · CC BY 3.0
A
Schools in The Villages · Sumter County School District

The Villages’s public schools outscore 86% of Florida districts

In The Villages, 62% of tested students are proficient in math, above the Florida average (52%). The grade covers the public school district serving The Villages, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Florida, not nationally.

#20of 638 Florida townsK–12Where will my kid go?

From Florida state tests taken in spring 2022, when 98% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency
61%
▲ 9 pts vs FL 52%
2021–22
Math proficiency
62%
▲ 10 pts vs FL 52%
2021–22
Graduate on time
94%
▲ 6 pts vs FL 88%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$14.0K
▲ 8% vs FL $13.0K
FY2024
Students per teacher
15.5
FL 18.0 · smaller classes
Schools in town
1
5,418 students on the public path
In brief

The Villages’s schools, in brief

Better than its incomes would predict

Among the 459 Florida towns with household incomes within a quarter of The Villages’s, its schools beat 97%, higher than their 86% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Above the state on both counts

Reading proficiency is 61% and math 62% in spring 2022, against 52% and 52% statewide; 94% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88%. Test scores ↓

Spending and class size

The district spends $14,013 per student, against $13,006 across Florida (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓

Four elementary schools, then three middle schools

Which school depends on the address at every step. Enrollment is up 16% since 2020–21. See the path ↓

Choice beyond the district

Villages Charter School is in town. Every school ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind The Villages’s grade

A Test scoresA Graduation

A: better than 86% of Florida school districts, #20 of 638 Florida towns. Test scores and graduation are both above the Florida average; graduation is the stronger of the two.

Florida school districts we grade (76)Better than 86%
Lower resultsHigher results
Florida towns with similar household incomes (459)Better than 97%
A−AA fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 4,932 test results and a graduating class of 610 could put The Villages anywhere from A− to A. The tests are from spring 2022, when 98% of The Villages’s students in the tested grades sat them (4,640 in math, 5,224 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve The Villages, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
PK–54 elementary schoolsDepends on your addressB to A−
6–123 schoolsDepends on your addressC to B

The Villages’s public schools are run by Sumter County School District, which also serves Bushnell, Center Hill, Coleman and Webster and others. Parts of The Villages (12% of its land) are served by Marion County instead. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

The district

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Sumter County School DistrictGrades PK–12 · 12 schools · 10,013 students, up 16% since 2020–21 · 15.5 per teacher (FL 18.0)
$14,013FL $13,006 · FY2024
A
Test scores · 2021–22

Well above the state in reading

Reading61%
State average 52.1% · 5224 students tested
Math62%
State average 52.2% · 4640 students tested

The Villages vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the Florida towns that share The Villages’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
The VillagesASumter County
WildwoodASumter County

Every school in The Villages

8 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Florida’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

Also serving The Villagesin other towns
Bushnell Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Bushnell
A−
752 students17:1Rate it →
Webster Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Webster
B+
690 students16:1Rate it →
Wildwood Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Wildwood
B
678 students16:1Rate it →
Lake Panasoffkee Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Lake Panasoffkee
A−
621 students17:1Rate it →
South Sumter Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Webster
B
890 students17:1Rate it →
Wildwood Middle/ High School
High · Grades 6–12 · Wildwood
C
710 students16:1Rate it →
South Sumter High School
High · Grades 7–12 · Bushnell
C+
1,077 students18:1Rate it →
Charter schoolsfree, open by application
Villages Charter School
Grades PK–12
A
Charter
4,062 students14:1Rate it →

Left off: 1 public program with fewer than 25 students (The Villages Charter School Autism Center LLC).

Questions about The Villages’s schools

Are The Villages’s schools good?

By Florida’s own tests, yes: the public schools The Villages children attend outscore 86% of Florida’s school districts on tests and graduation, an A Schools grade, #20 of 638 Florida towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 97%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is The Villages in?

Sumter County School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 10,013 students in 12 schools (2024–25). Small parts of The Villages are served by Marion County.

What is The Villages’s graduation rate?

94% of the class of 2023 in Sumter County School District graduated in four years, against 88% across Florida.

How much does The Villages spend per student?

$14,013 in Sumter County School District (FY2024), against $13,006 across Florida. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What The Villages families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near The Villages → They have their own page.

School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Florida. Stars are from neighbors.