OZONA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL vs CURLEW CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Ozona Elementary School and Curlew Creek Elementary School sit 4.0 miles apart in Palm Harbor, Florida, and both rank among Florida's top 100 schools out of 3,777. Ozona Elementary School holds an overall rating of 9.2/10 and ranks #49 in Florida, while Curlew Creek Elementary School earns a 9.1/10 and ranks #74 — a gap of 25 state rank positions on a functionally similar overall score. Parents choosing between them are weighing genuinely excellent schools, so the differences that matter live in the details.

On academics and growth, the two schools track closely but are not identical. Ozona Elementary School posts an academic score of 8.5/10 against Curlew Creek Elementary School's 8.4/10 — a difference of 0.1 points. The growth score tells a more meaningful story: Ozona Elementary School scores 9.7/10 compared to Curlew Creek Elementary School's 9.3/10, a 0.4-point gap indicating that Ozona students are advancing at a faster rate relative to their starting points. For families who prioritize academic momentum over a single-year snapshot, that growth delta is the more actionable number.

Curlew Creek Elementary School enrolls 620 students to Ozona Elementary School's 763, and that smaller enrollment translates directly into smaller classes: Curlew Creek's student-teacher ratio is 13.2:1 versus Ozona's 15.6:1, a difference of 2.4 students per teacher. Curlew Creek also serves a higher share of economically disadvantaged students, with 36% receiving free or reduced lunch compared to 26% at Ozona Elementary School. Families who value tighter adult-to-student attention and a more economically diverse peer environment will find those factors favor Curlew Creek.

Both schools serve grades PK through 5, so there is no structural difference in the years a child would spend at either campus. The decision comes down to weighing Ozona Elementary School's edge in growth scores and state rank against Curlew Creek Elementary School's lower student-teacher ratio and broader socioeconomic mix.