A list by Niche.com ranks puts the area at No. 1. Original article written by: Elizabeth Djinis with the Herald Tribune. South Sarasota has been ranked the best area to go to public School in Florida, according to a new ranking by national website Niche.com. The website gives schools in south Sarasota an A+ overall grade and A+ public schools grade. It was also ranked the 57th best place to live in Florida. The site delineates south Sarasota as the area spanning between Fruitville Road and Interstate 75 and as far south as Clark Road. The general region of Sarasota was also ranked third in best public schools in Florida, although the site does not make it clear how it breaks up regional areas. Gulf Gate Estates, from Clark Road onward, and South Gate Ridge, by Bee Ridge Road and U.S. 41, also made the Top 5 rankings for best public schools in Florida. The Sarasota County School District is one of only two of Florida’s 67 school districts to have maintained an A grade from the Florida Department of Education since 2004, when the state began grading districts. Sarasota schools also have the No. 2 Florida Standards Assessment scores on English Language Arts tests in the state. Student SAT scores have ranked above state and national averages since 2012.