Where is Pace Florida?

Have you just gotten orders to Pensacola NAS or Whiting Field – or even Hurlburt Field or Eglin Air Force Base? Are you looking for a great place to live with good schools, safe neighborhoods, and high quality of life?

Great news, Pace Florida is an excellent option for you and your family. But where is Pace FL?

Pace, Florida is an unincorporated (that means your property taxes will be lower) community just east of Pensacola in Santa Rosa County, Florida. The area has several excellent schools to choose from and more affordable and safer housing.

Elementary Schools in Pace, Florida

All of the public schools in Pace, Florida operate under the Santa Rosa County School District. The Santa Rosa County School District earned an A rating from the state in 2020, which means you really can’t go wrong living in Santa Rosa County when it comes to the education of your kiddos.

Furthermore, there are a total of four elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school for parents to choose from. Additionally, there are several private schools in the area – and we will add them to the list as time allows.

If you want to live in the Pace area – these are the schools you will be able to choose from:

Pea Ridge Elementary School

Santa Rosa County School District assigns learners kindergarten through fifth grade to Pea Ridge Elementary School if they live in the eastern portion of Pace as it nears the City of Milton on US-90 (also known as Caroline Street).

53% of students at Pea Ridge Elementary earned an achievement grade in English and Language Arts – that’s right above the state average of 52.3% for elementary school students. In mathematics, the students at Pea Ridge Elementary School scored in the 57th percentile for all elementary schools in the State of Florida. Pea Ridge does offer a gifted program for students who qualify.

Bennett C. Russell Elementary School

Students who learn at Bennett C. Russell Elementary School, located in the Avalon Area of Santa Rosa County, had outstanding learning outcomes. 61% of students at the school achieved grade level in English and Language Arts – better than 61% of elementary schools in all of Florida. In math, the student’s school outperformed 62% of elementary schools in the state.

S.S. Dixon Primary School

Located in the heart of Pace, S.S. Dixon Elementary School outshined all of the other elementary schools in the Pace area in 2021. 67% of the school’s students earned achievement grades on their English Language arts FSAs and 74% earned achievement grades on their mathematics FSAs. Dixon Elementary Teachers’ students performed better than 77% of other schools’ students in English language arts and better than 84% of schools in mathematics. That’s incredible! Niche.com rated the school a B for academics and B for diversity – but the numbers from the State of Florida say that you should consider this school for your children when buying a home.

There are 752 students at S.S. Dixon Primary School. S.S. Dixon also offers a gifted program for students who qualify.

Middle Schools in Pace, Florida

Middle School can be a difficult time in a child’s life – it was for me! But the help of great teachers and other resources can also be a rewarding time in a child’s life. Here is the rundown for public middle schools in the Pace area that you will want to know before buying a home.

Avalon Middle School

The Students of Avalon Middle School continue to achieve high levels in the state standard testing they must complete. This alone is a great reason to consider living in this area – as is the fact you can get twice-weekly trash and recycling service from Adams Sanitation!

Avalon Middle School placed in the top third for achievement in mathematics and English language arts for the 2021 school year – a fantastic achievement when you think about how many schools there are in Florida. Niche.com named the school in the top 20% of the middle schools in the state for 2021.

Thomas L. Sims Middle School

Students at Thomas L. Sims Middle School continue high-level achievement every year. The school rated better than 83% of all Florida schools statewide in English and language arts learning and better than 93% of all middle schools in the state for mathematics achievement! The school has approximately 1,150 students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades and boasts a student-to-teacher ratio under 25. The school serves students from Naval Outlying Field Spencer to the Escambia River and feeds Pace High School.

Pace High School

The Pace Patriots excel in academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities throughout Florida. Pace High School placed third in Santa Rosa County’s School District for academics in a very competitive field. The school earned a B+ rating in academics from Niche.com as well. The two schools that placed better than Pace High School were Gulf Breeze High School and Navarre High School, and both schools are located in the southern portion of Santa Rosa County.

While Niche.com may not view Pace High School as favorably as Navarre High School and Gulf Breeze High School – the numbers from the State of Florida tell a different story. According to the latest Florida Department of Education Report, Pace High School had the second-highest achievement scores, trailing only Gulf Breeze High School.

The School offers the following sports for students to participate in:

Baseball • Boys Basketball • Girls Basketball • Cheerleading • Cross Country • Girls Flag Football • Football • Golf • Boys and Girls Soccer • Softball • Boys and Girls Swimming • Tennis • Track • Volleyball | Boys and Girls Weightlifting • Boys and Girls Wrestling

Pace High School also has plenty of extracurriculars to participate in as well – including Anchor Club, Band, The Black Student Union, Choir, Creative Writing, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, First Priority, Interact Club, National Honor Society, Odyssey of the Mind, Patriot Wildlife Conservation Club, Spanish Honor Society, Theater, Asian Student Union, Beta Club, Chess Club, Color Guard, Dungeons and Dragons Club, Gay Straight Alliance, National Art Honor Society, Naval JROTC, Patriot Ambassadors, Robotics Club, Student Government, Tri-M and the Yearbook.

Taxes in Pace Florida

Florida is a very low-tax state to live in. The State of Florida does not levy a state income tax on its citizens – and chooses instead to collect money through sales taxes, corporate taxes, and other fees for services it provides. Because of the way the state funds itself, Florida has the fewest number of state employees per resident in the country. It has about half the number of state employees per resident as the average state.

Taxes for Pace, Florida tether to the county. So, what county is Pace Fl in? Santa Rosa County! Santa Rosa County follows a similar fiscal plan the the State of Florida – it tries to keep taxes as low as possible without harming essential services like the Sheriff’s Office. Santa Rosa County charges about $764 per capita in property taxes – about half of what the average is statewide, according to Florida Tax Watch.

While it may seem like a built-up area – Pace, Florida is not a city – it is still an unincorporated area, which means there are no city taxes, but also no city services as well.

I know you’re interested, and if you’re thinking of buying your next home in Pace, Florida, just CLICK HERE!