Waters Edge Elementary ranks No. 15 and Don Estridge High Tech Middle No. 16 in Florida in the 2027 U.S. News lists, with Addison Mizner and Verde K-8 also in the top 100.

Four Boca Raton schools run by the School District of Palm Beach County are among the 100 best public elementary and middle schools in Florida. The 2027 U.S. News & World Report rankings put Waters Edge Elementary at No. 15 in the state and Don Estridge High Tech Middle at No. 16.

The district announced the results Thursday. It had 12 schools on the two lists, six elementary and six middle. Four of them are in Boca Raton, according to the district’s Oct. 22 release.

The Boca Raton schools on the lists

School List Florida rank
Waters Edge Elementary Top 100 elementary schools No. 15
Don Estridge High Tech Middle Top 100 middle schools No. 16
Addison Mizner School Top 100 middle schools No. 30
Verde K-8 Top 100 middle schools No. 48

Waters Edge is on Shorewind Drive, west of the city limits. The other three are inside the city.

The district’s highest-ranked schools on each list are elsewhere in the county. Morikami Park Elementary, in west Delray Beach about five miles north, is No. 5 among elementary schools. Bak Middle School of the Arts in West Palm Beach is No. 7 among middle schools.

Three high schools ranked in August

The district’s release also lists its high schools in the state top 100, which U.S. News announced in August. Three are in the Boca Raton area:

That puts seven district schools in the Boca Raton area across the three lists.

How the rankings work

The state rankings weigh four measures equally, at 25% each, the district said:

  • math proficiency
  • math performance
  • reading proficiency
  • reading performance

“This level of performance is driven by the everyday dedication of our teachers, school leaders, support staff, students, and families,” Superintendent Mike Burke said in the release.

What it means for you

  • Middle grades at three of the four schools admit by choice application. Don Estridge has no attendance zone. Sixth to eighth grade at Addison Mizner and Verde K-8 admit by choice application too.
  • The application for 2027-28 is open now and closes Dec. 4, 2026. It runs through the district’s choice application portal and needs a Palm Beach County student ID number. The district’s choice programs page lists every program.
  • Elementary grades are zoned. Waters Edge, and kindergarten to fifth grade at Addison Mizner and Verde, take students by address. Each school page above has its zone and feeder schools.

Our public schools guide has every Boca Raton school’s state grade and zone.