A closer look at East Bay K-8 School.
East Bay K-8 brings elementary and middle school grades together on Elkhart Drive in Gulf Breeze. Its school updates describe STEAM students designing underwater remotely operated vehicles for SeaPerch, with a team progressing from a University of West Florida regional event to the 2026 international competition.
The 2025–26 Florida DOE report classifies East Bay K-8 School in the combination category, as a district public school in Santa Rosa County. Its accountability grade is A; it earned 70% of possible accountability points. The published grade sequence is A in 2023–24, A in 2024–25, and A in 2025–26.
Underwater engineering gives East Bay's K–8 story a concrete example.
Our interpretation of published school information, not a campus inspection or an additional official rating.
East Bay's SeaPerch work offers a concrete example of applied learning: its school updates describe STEAM students designing and operating underwater vehicles, with a team reaching the 2026 international competition after a University of West Florida regional event. Our read is that the interesting question is how students reach that experience through everyday classes, not simply whether the school has a competition result.
The K–8 format adds another decision point. A child may move from elementary into middle grades within the same institution, but that does not eliminate the change in academic expectations. We would ask how middle-grade electives, subject teachers and project work develop, and how a student arriving in a later grade can enter that progression. The competition example should inform a question, not promise every student the same opportunity.
Why it may fit
An option to investigate for families interested in K–8 continuity or a student drawn to building, testing and solving practical problems. Confirm which grades can access STEAM and how selection for activities works.
What to weigh
Competition participation is narrower than whole-school instruction. A different eligible school may be a better match if it offers the desired elective sooner or with a schedule that better suits the individual student.
The campus is on Elkhart Drive in Gulf Breeze. Its combined grades mean the transition into middle-school work occurs within East Bay; high-school placement still needs separate confirmation.
Ask to see the route from a beginner STEAM class to a SeaPerch project, including prerequisites, classroom participation, selection for competitions and any work expected outside the school day.
Based on East Bay K-8 School school-published information ↗ · NCES school directory ↗ · Official SeaPerch program update ↗. Confirm current programs and availability with the school.
What makes this school distinctive.
Applied engineering through SeaPerch
A 2026 school update describes students designing, building and operating underwater vehicles through a STEAM class and SeaPerch competition.
School source ↗A K–8 campus
The combined elementary and middle school configuration offers continuity across grades; ask how schedules, spaces and electives change at the middle-school transition.
School source ↗How the official results compare.
Its 70% overall points result is 9.5 percentage points above the 60.5% median among 4 other combination schools in Santa Rosa County with reported data.
What the results suggest.
A consistent state classification
Three consecutive A grades give you a consistent accountability classification across the published years. That is useful context, but it does not show whether every subject, classroom or student made the same progress.
A result worth noticing
Mathematics is 78%, compared with a 53.5% median for 4 other local schools in the same state category. That 24.5-point difference is the largest positive peer gap among the subject measures available here. Ask which learning opportunities sit behind it and how a new student would access them.
Where to look closer
The science result is 69%, 0.5 percentage points below its 69.5% local peer median. This is a specific area to discuss, rather than a verdict on the whole school. Ask how teachers identify a student who needs help, what support looks like during the week, and how progress is shared with families.
Calculated from the dated state results below. Peer gaps compare each subject with the same subject at other schools, not one subject with another. Measures can cover different student groups. They do not establish why a result occurred or the quality of a particular teacher.
| Measure | This school | Peer median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall accountability points | 70% | 60.5% (4 schools) | +9.5 pp |
| English language arts achievement | 73% | 67.5% (4 schools) | +5.5 pp |
| Mathematics achievement | 78% | 53.5% (4 schools) | +24.5 pp |
| Science achievement | 69% | 69.5% (4 schools) | −0.5 pp |
| Social studies achievement | 80% | 69.5% (4 schools) | +10.5 pp |
Swipe across the table to compare all columns.
Calculated from the linked Florida DOE release. The peer median is the middle school-level result, excludes this school, uses the same county and DOE school category, and ignores missing values. It is not weighted by enrollment. “pp” means percentage points. Graduation and acceleration measures use the cohorts specified by the state. Different measures describe different groups of students.
Use the results to identify questions, not to predict your child's experience. Florida raised the high and combination school grading thresholds for 2025–26, so a changed letter grade alone does not prove performance declined. Programs, support, admissions and a campus visit can change which option fits your priorities. Read the state methodology ↗
Other schools to consider.
These are the nearest other report pages in the same county and Florida DOE school category, using recorded campus locations. Their placement is based on location and school format, not a recommendation or enrollment entitlement. The combination category includes different grade spans, such as K–8 and middle/high schools. Check that an option serves the grade your child needs.
Wallace Lake K-8 ↗
Directory grades PK–08 · NCES 2024-25. Confirm current entry grades.
Wallace Lake K-8 reports 88% in mathematics achievement, compared with 78% here. If this is a priority, ask how its instruction and support would serve your child. Worth considering for a family interested in fewer changes of institution before high school, or with children at different K–8 stages. Confirm whether the actual schedules and communication arrangements simplify the family's routine.
District school: confirm zoning, transfers and availability.Central School ↗
Directory grades PK–12 · NCES 2024-25. Confirm current entry grades.
Compare Central School's course options, student support and daily schedule with this school. A different program or learning format may matter more to your child than the overall grade. Potentially appealing when a family values a combined-school format, or when a student's interests match one of Central's applied pathways. The useful test is the student's schedule and available next steps within that format.
District school: confirm zoning, transfers and availability.Jay High School ↗
Directory grades 07–12 · NCES 2024-25. Confirm current entry grades.
Compare Jay High School's course options, student support and daily schedule with this school. A different program or learning format may matter more to your child than the overall grade. Worth exploring for a student whose interests align with the published construction, culinary or agriculture options, or for a family considering the continuity of a combined middle-and-high-school setting.
District school: confirm zoning, transfers and availability.Campus-to-campus distances are straight-line estimates, not driving routes or distances from your home. Use the address search on the school map for a comparison from your own location. An alternative may be a better fit when its verified program, support or learning format aligns with your child's needs; a higher score in one measure does not settle that decision.
Enrollment and a useful school visit.
Use the school's enrollment link and confirm your home address with Santa Rosa County's official school zone locator. Program places and transfer requests need school or district confirmation. Enrollment resource ↗
- Which grades can take STEAM or participate in SeaPerch, and are there prerequisites?
- What changes when a student moves from elementary classes into middle school on the same campus?
Sources for this guide
School-specific research checked 2026-09-06. Accountability data: 2025–26, retrieved 2026-08-24. Directory information is dated separately above.