A closer look at N. B. Cook Elementary School.
N. B. Cook Elementary School of the Arts integrates creative and performing arts with academic learning. Its school history dates the start of the arts magnet program to August 1991.
The 2025–26 Florida DOE report classifies N. B. Cook Elementary School in the elementary category, as a district public school in Escambia County. Its accountability grade is A; it earned 73% of possible accountability points. The published grade sequence is A in 2023–24, A in 2024–25, and A in 2025–26.
Arts participation is part of the academic experience
Our interpretation of published school information, not a campus inspection or an additional official rating.
N. B. Cook's defining feature is the integration of dance, drama, music and visual art with elementary learning. Its published description says all kindergarten-through-fifth-grade students participate, with classroom teachers and arts specialists contributing to the experience. For a child who enjoys movement, storytelling, making things or performing, that offers a concrete reason to explore the school. The stated purpose includes creativity and confidence, with broad participation rather than preparation for a professional performing career.
The most useful way to evaluate Cook is to follow an academic idea through the arts. Families could ask how a story, a mathematical pattern or a science topic becomes something students sing, draw, act out or discuss. They should also examine how staff support a child who enjoys one art form but feels hesitant about another. The school's model asks families to consider the full arts experience alongside reading, writing and mathematics, including how much practice and performance the current grade expects.
Why it may fit
Particularly worth exploring for a child who engages through artistic expression and a family that values regular participation across several art forms.
What to weigh
A child will encounter a broader arts program than a single preferred activity. Discuss participation support, academic routines and performance expectations before deciding the approach suits them.
Cook's arts magnet began in 1991 at the North 12th Avenue school. Admission requires an application and district selection; living nearby does not establish a seat.
Request an example of a recent grade-level project showing both its academic objective and the role of the arts, including how hesitant participants were supported.
Based on N. B. Cook arts model and magnet history ↗ · Escambia district enrollment and application information ↗. Confirm current programs and availability with the school.
What makes this school distinctive.
Arts integrated with academics
The school describes singing, movement, drawing and dramatic play as ways to connect artistic development with classroom learning.
School source ↗Magnet admission
N. B. Cook requires an application and describes district-run random selection. Its pages contain differing historical application dates, so use the current district application cycle.
School source ↗How the official results compare.
Its 73% overall points result is 15 percentage points above the 58% median among 33 other elementary schools in Escambia 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
Science is 84%, compared with a 61% median for 33 other local schools in the same state category. That 23-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.
The next question after the scores
None of the 3 subject measures with enough local comparison data falls below its own peer median. The next question is how the school supports both students who need more time and students ready for additional challenge. These school-level percentages do not measure class size, belonging or your child's likely outcome.
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 | 73% | 58% (33 schools) | +15 pp |
| English language arts achievement | 78% | 62% (33 schools) | +16 pp |
| Mathematics achievement | 83% | 62% (33 schools) | +21 pp |
| Science achievement | 84% | 61% (33 schools) | +23 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. 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.
A. K. Suter Elementary School ↗
Directory grades KG–05 · NCES 2024-25. Confirm current entry grades.
Compare A. K. Suter Elementary 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 examining if you want an elementary experience that includes the arts and clearly identified ways to contribute. Participation can take different forms; families should ask about options that fit their available time.
District school: confirm zoning, transfers and availability.O. J. Semmes Elementary School ↗
Directory grades PK–05 · NCES 2024-25. Confirm current entry grades.
Compare O. J. Semmes Elementary 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. Families who want a clear connection between school reading goals, home practice and regular teacher feedback can use Semmes' published resources to begin that discussion.
District school: confirm zoning, transfers and availability.Cordova Park Elementary School ↗
Directory grades KG–06 · NCES 2024-25. Confirm current entry grades.
Compare Cordova Park Elementary 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. Relevant for a family interested in how visual arts contribute to an elementary education. A child who enjoys making things may also benefit from learning to explain choices and respond thoughtfully to someone else's work.
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.
Contact Escambia Enrollment Services for the current N. B. Cook application window and selection process. Do not assume an address nearby establishes admission or that a midyear opening is available. Enrollment resource ↗
- How are performing and visual arts integrated into our child's academic day?
- What is the next application window, and how are applicants notified of selection?
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.