IDA M. STEWART ELEMENTARY SCHOOL vs FREEDOM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Freedom Elementary School ranks #9 of 3,777 Florida schools while Ida M. Stewart Elementary School ranks #17 of 3,777 — both sit in the top half-percent statewide, making this one of the tightest elite-versus-elite comparisons a Bradenton parent will encounter. The overall rating gap is just 0.1 points, with Freedom at 9.4/10 and Ida M. Stewart at 9.3/10.

On academics, Ida M. Stewart Elementary School edges ahead with a 9.3/10 academic score versus Freedom Elementary School's 9.2/10 — a slim but real delta favoring Stewart's instructional outcomes. Growth scores are identical: both Ida M. Stewart and Freedom Elementary School earn a 9.7/10, meaning students at each school advance at an equally exceptional pace relative to their starting points. Neither school has a meaningful edge in moving students forward year over year.

Freedom Elementary School enrolls 611 students compared to Ida M. Stewart Elementary School's 391, a difference of 220 students — Freedom runs roughly 56% larger. Despite the bigger student body, Freedom carries a lower student-teacher ratio of 13.6:1 against Stewart's 14.5:1, suggesting Freedom has staffed up proportionally. Freedom also serves a higher share of economically disadvantaged students, with 41% free or reduced-price lunch eligibility versus 32% at Ida M. Stewart, a 9-point gap that reflects meaningfully different community demographics across the two campuses.

Both schools serve grades PK through 5, so families with children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade will find the same grade range at either campus. The 12.1 miles separating the two schools in Bradenton makes this a genuine geographic decision for most families — commute direction and proximity to home or work will factor into the choice as much as any performance metric, given how closely matched these two schools are across every measured dimension.