Van R. Butler Elementary School

Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459

Phone: (850) 622-5040
Fax: (850) 622-5048
District: Walton

9

GreatSchools Rating

public • Grades KG,1,2,3,4,5 • 844 students

Van R. Butler Elementary School, a public school located in Santa Rosa Beach, FL, serves grades K-5 in the Walton.It has received a GreatSchools Rating of 9 out of 10, based on a variety of school quality measures.

Van R. Butler Elementary School is a public school located in Santa Rosa Beach, FL. 844 students attend Van R. Butler Elementary School.

School Ratings

Category Rating Details
Test Scores 9/10 The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 Florida Assessment of Student Thinking data from Florida Department of Education, and using 2025 Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking data from Florida Department of Education.
Student Growth 9/10 The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2025 Student growth data from Florida Department of Education.

Posted: February 12, 2026

Don’t like the staff attitude, rude car line staff, rude front desk, teachers are ok but with have attitude toward the kids that are a bit behind
(Edwin and Keene)
The staff is nothing but females so make your own conclusion, I would leave 0 stars if I could

Posted: February 12, 2026

Posted: February 12, 2026

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Posted: February 12, 2026

Posted: November 4, 2024

Don’t like the staff attitude, rude car line staff, rude front desk, teacher is ok

Posted: November 4, 2024

Posted: November 4, 2024

Posted: November 4, 2024

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Posted: November 4, 2024

Posted: February 15, 2024

Great schools with opportunities for everyone. Teachers are very helpful along with the administration.

Posted: February 15, 2024

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Posted: November 28, 2023

This school is hands down amazing. Public schools are really hit or miss as we have moved around a lot for my husbands job. We have been to 3 different public schools and no others compare to Butler. This school actually pointed out areas where my child was struggling and provided extra worksheets to work on and also pulled them into small groups with other kids who were also struggling. They were able to improve the struggle subjects in a stress free setting. This school also has a ton of parent and community involvement which also makes a school more organized and fun for the kids. They put on wonderful events and programs such as their veterans day program. At morning drop off everyone is waiving and greeting you, it’s a warm feeling dropping them off here everyday. They also have excellent security at this school. All doors remain locked and perimeter is also fenced, locked, and lots of security cameras. Not to mention they have 1-2 police enforcement officers at the school EVERY SINGLE DAY. I feel safe and at peace of mind when my kids are at school. 10/10 Recommend this school.

Posted: November 28, 2023

Posted: November 28, 2023

Posted: November 28, 2023

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Posted: November 28, 2023

Posted: May 29, 2022

I have attended this school for two years, and we are very impressed!

Posted: May 29, 2022

Posted: May 29, 2022

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Posted: May 29, 2022

Posted: December 14, 2021

This school may be great for students that fit into the typical mold. If your student is unique in any way or has special needs, this school is NOT equipped to offer support. My student had a 504 plan in place for a medical condition as well as learning difficulties such as ADHD and Dyslexia. This school offer zero support for her learning challenges. I've asked numerous times but always end up at a dead end.

Posted: December 14, 2021

Posted: December 14, 2021

Posted: December 14, 2021

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Posted: December 14, 2021

Posted: December 14, 2021

Posted: April 29, 2020

We changed schools at the beginning of 3rd grade due to horrible teachers. Years 1 and 2 were fantastic. However admin changed and a lot of the good teachers left. I would not recommend this school.

Posted: April 29, 2020

Posted: April 29, 2020

Most of the good teachers left when the administration changed. I’m sure there are still some great teachers at this school but beware of the 3rd grade teachers.

Posted: April 29, 2020

Posted: April 29, 2020

Posted: April 29, 2020

If your kid is perfect then they will do well at Butler. Admin is not well equipped to handle even the smallest difference.

Posted: April 29, 2020

Posted: March 6, 2019

Posted: March 6, 2019

Staff environment appeared toxic. Rude behavior, unprofessional.

Posted: March 6, 2019

See previous comments, not recommended! Unprofessional and rude staff, made me question how the staff is treated, and if the children are protected properly from toxic staff environment, assistant principal seemed to ferment the toxic environment.

Posted: March 6, 2019

Posted: March 6, 2019

Posted: March 6, 2019

Assistant principal attempt to bully me by merely asking for information.

Posted: March 6, 2019

Rude and unprofessional staff. Attempted to enroll a child and was given inconstant information by the assistant principal, extremely rude, and should not be tolerated. Caused me to question other areas in regard to school policy and toxic environment among the staff.

Posted: January 3, 2018

Posted: January 3, 2018

Posted: January 3, 2018

Posted: January 3, 2018

Posted: January 3, 2018

Posted: January 3, 2018

Posted: January 3, 2018

Butler is a great school overall, but the children in the Gifted Program don't receive the special education the need. These children must have an I.Q. of 135 or more to be in the program. The school needs to recognize these children learn differently and at a faster pace. Just because they do well in school their special needs are not being met.

Posted: May 2, 2014

We love Butler! Our sons are finishing up their 3rd year here. The administration knows every student by name which is pretty impressive for the number of students they have. We have zero complaints and our sons love their school.

Posted: May 1, 2014

I have five children, we have been in 4 school systems and I have never been in one as wonderful as this. We have made Miramar Beach our home because of this school. Mrs Smith is a wonderful principal, she knows all the children, what class their in, she walks through the lunchroom talking to them each day.

Posted: January 22, 2014

This school is so large, I feel it's easy for children to fall through the cracks. As a parent with a full-time job, I have found it nearly impossible to get any feedback on my child's progress, other than her report card. I have emailed, sent notes, requested conferences, with little to no response from her teachers -- for the past 3 years. My friends who have schedules that allow them to volunteer at the school don't seem to have the same communication issues with their childrens' teachers.

Posted: August 7, 2013

I found it very disturbing that an ARMED police officer was guarding the halls during homecoming. Sad very sad No extra curricular activities. Music for one hour every 2 weeks? Please!

Posted: May 7, 2012

Butler is generally a good school, but certainly can improve. I would not be too influenced by FCAT scores. The school is located in an affluent district and, as such, tends to serve students from successful families. The student peer-group is as ripe and prepared for education as most any anywhere. Wasted time and distraction spent on discipline and decorum are simply not issues at Butler. Given this student body, the level of educational opportunities could be far greater to help these students really soar and expand their horizons. The diversity of education is very limited with virtually no extra-curricular activities. The programming is very vanilla. The teachers are generally committed - often young and gaining experience. They run the gamut. I get the feeling that some of the school administration are just trying to keep things at an "acceptable" level, without any vision of "greatness" for the school and the student educational experience. I would suggest that senior administration could use some inspired vision building and better utilize some of the talent in the community - and study some of the really awesome school programs from Harlem to California.

Reviews provided by GreatSchools

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8 Felix Lake Neighborhood/Subdivision Tyndall AFB FL 41.5 mi
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10 Tiger Point Neighborhood/Subdivision Gulf Breeze FL 48.2 mi
11 Tiger Point (Willowood section) Neighborhood/Subdivision Gulf Breeze FL 48.2 mi
12 Sundial Estates Neighborhood/Subdivision Milton FL 48.3 mi
# Name City State Overall Rating Distance
1 Freeport Freeport FL 12 mi
2 Bluewater Bay Niceville FL 12.9 mi
3 Destin Destin FL 14.1 mi
4 Niceville Niceville FL 16.9 mi
5 Valparaiso Valparaiso FL 17.7 mi
6 Shalimar Shalimar FL 19.8 mi
7 Fort Walton Beach Fort Walton FL 21.6 mi
8 Mary Esther Mary Esther FL 23.6 mi
9 Crestview Crestview FL 33.4 mi
10 Navarre Navarre FL 37 mi
11 Milton Milton FL 50 mi
Base Distance
Eglin AFB 18 mi.
Duke Field 25.2 mi.
Hurlburt Field 25.9 mi.
NSA Panama City 32.5 mi.
Tyndall AFB 44.6 mi.
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