Williams Elementary, 1245 SE Seventh Ave.: kindergarten through fifth grade, 458 students in 2023-24 and a D in Florida's 2026 school grades.

Last checked Oct. 9, 2026. Sources: the school’s website, Alachua County Public Schools’ Schools and Centers Directory, zone maps and 2026-27 calendar, the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades file, the Census Bureau’s 2020 census block counts and the federal NCES school directory.

Joseph Williams Elementary School is the Alachua County Public Schools elementary school for kindergarten through fifth grade at 1245 SE Seventh Ave., Gainesville.

Who to call

  • Front office: 352-955-6719, 1245 SE Seventh Ave., Gainesville, FL 32641
  • School website: alachuaschools.net/o/williams
  • Which school is my address zoned for? Office of Student Assignment (Zoning), 352-955-7700, zoning@alachuaschools.net
  • Enrolling a new student: the district’s enrollment page; district office 352-955-7300
  • Buses: district Transportation, 352-955-7602
Address 1245 SE Seventh Ave., Gainesville, FL 32641
Phone 352-955-6719
Grades K to 5
District Alachua County Public Schools

Principal

Principal Justin Russell, according to the district’s Schools and Centers Directory, which links each school’s website.

Enrollment and teachers

  • Federal count: 458 students in the 2023-24 school year, the latest year in the NCES school directory, with 29 full-time-equivalent teachers, or about 16 students per teacher.

State report card

Florida grades every public school A to F each year. The grade is the share of possible points a school earns on state test results and learning gains and, for middle and high schools, acceleration measures and, for high schools, the graduation rate, according to the Florida Department of Education.

School year Grade
2025-26 D (38% of possible points)
2024-25 D
2023-24 B

From the state’s 2026 school grades file, the share of students scoring on grade level on the state tests in 2025-26:

  • English language arts: 23%
  • Math: 18%
  • Science: 38%

The full report card, with test results by grade and student group, is on the state’s Florida school report cards site. It is an interactive dashboard; the figures above come from the downloadable grades file.

Attendance zone and feeder schools

Check any address with the district’s Find My School zone maps (instructions on its Find My School page), or ask the Office of Student Assignment at 352-955-7700 or zoning@alachuaschools.net.

On the district’s 2026-27 elementary zone map, about 94% of the people who live in the Williams Elementary zone live inside Gainesville city limits, by 2020 census block counts.

The district does not publish a feeder list: students are zoned by address for each level. For middle school, the zone lies in the Lincoln Middle zone. For high school, the zone lies in the Eastside High zone.

Our neighborhood guides show how homes are zoned in Downtown.

These zones are new. The School Board approved a right-sizing plan, announced in a district news release on March 13, 2026, that redrew elementary, middle and high school zones for 2026-27, the first districtwide rezoning since 2003. Details are on the district’s Our Schools, Future Ready page. Under the plan, Williams, which the district calls its oldest school, is projected to close at the end of the 2027-28 school year. Lincoln Middle, next door, is to be renovated and gain a new elementary building to become a K-8 school serving most current Williams students; most Williams students stay on the current campus until it is done.

Calendar and bell times

From the district’s 2026-27 calendar, which applies to every district school:

  • Tuesday, Oct. 13: end of the first nine weeks
  • Friday, Oct. 16: student holiday, teacher workday
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day holiday
  • Nov. 23-27: no school for Thanksgiving week
  • Friday, Dec. 18: flex day, no school
  • Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter break
  • Monday, Jan. 4: flex day, no school

The district says it will use the two flex days, Dec. 18 first, as makeup days if school is canceled for a hurricane or other emergency.

Programs

The district’s magnet programs page lists Williams Magnet Program at Williams Elementary. Magnet seats are by application through the district; the application for 2026-27 has closed, and the district says it will post the 2027-28 timeline on that page. Magnet questions: 352-955-7121.

The district’s magnet page says the school’s application for candidacy in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program has been approved.

More on Gainesville schools

Frequently asked questions

What grades does Williams Elementary serve?

Kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of Alachua County Public Schools, at 1245 SE Seventh Ave., Gainesville.

What is Williams Elementary’s school grade?

Williams Elementary earned a D in Florida’s 2026 school grades, with 38% of possible points. It earned a D in 2025.

Which high school does Williams Elementary feed into?

The district zones each address separately. On the 2026-27 maps, the Williams Elementary zone lies mostly in the Lincoln Middle zone for middle school and the Eastside High zone for high school.

Who is the principal of Williams Elementary?

Justin Russell, according to the district’s Schools and Centers Directory.