Treasure Coast Elementary School — Sebastian, Florida

Treasure Coast Elementary School, known in full as Treasure Coast Elementary School of Marine Science, is a public elementary school of the School District of Indian River County. It stands at 8955 85th Street in Sebastian, the address used in Indian River County shelter notices published by Vero News as recently as October 2024. The school carries two roles that set it apart from other Sebastian campuses: a marine science and conservation focus in the classroom, and a long record as the county's special needs hurricane shelter.

The school serves families in Sebastian, which the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 counts at 25,759 residents with a median age of 57.6, a median household income of $68,863 and a median home value of $281,700. Treasure Coast Elementary is one of the north county public elementary schools in Indian River County, alongside Pelican Island Elementary and Sebastian Elementary.

On April 16, 2025, the School District of Indian River County announced that Treasure Coast Elementary School of Marine Science had officially been recognized as a Guy Harvey School of Conservation, according to Vero News. The district said the designation honors the school's commitment to marine science education, environmental stewardship and empowering the next generation of conservation leaders.

The district release described students at Treasure Coast Elementary exploring ocean ecosystems and learning about marine wildlife through curriculum and hands-on learning. With the designation, the Sebastian school joined a growing network of schools partnered with the Guy Harvey Foundation, which works with schools to encourage young people to protect the natural world. Superintendent David K. Moore said in the district's statement that the recognition reinforces the importance of environmental literacy.

The marine theme connects to wider science programs in Indian River County. In July 2025, Vero News reported that Treasure Coast Elementary was among the participating schools in ORCA's Data Jam, where students from Indian River County schools, including Pelican Island Elementary and Sebastian River Middle, turned scientific data into paintings, sculptures, videos and games.

For most of the past decade, Indian River County has opened its special needs hurricane shelter at Treasure Coast Elementary in Sebastian. Ahead of Hurricane Irma in September 2017, Vero News published the county shelter list naming the Special Needs Shelter at Treasure Coast Elementary School, 8955 85th Street, Sebastian, with pre-registration required. The same designation appeared in the shelter list for Hurricane Dorian in September 2019, reported by Vero News, when Sebastian River Middle School served as a Wave 1 general shelter.

During Tropical Storm Isaias in August 2020, county officials and the school district opened three shelters, including the special needs shelter at Treasure Coast Elementary. Vero News reported that the special needs shelter had 19 evacuees with two caregivers before the shelters closed when Isaias was downgraded.

The pattern repeated in 2022. Indian River County Emergency Services listed Treasure Coast Elementary as the Special Needs Shelter at 8955 85th St., Sebastian, when shelters opened at noon ahead of Hurricane Ian in September 2022, according to Vero News, and again when three shelters opened at 7 a.m. ahead of Tropical Storm Nicole in November 2022, according to Vero News.

During Hurricane Milton in October 2024, Treasure Coast Elementary School stayed open as a special needs shelter on Oct. 10, 2024, after the county closed three of five shelters, serving individuals with special needs dependent on electricity, as Vero News reported. The same report noted that each campus operating as a shelter had a metal detector at the front entrance except for Treasure Coast Elementary. County officials closed the general shelters at Sebastian River Middle School, Oslo Middle School and Fellsmere Elementary School about 2 p.m. that Thursday, after about 648 people had checked in at School District campuses operating as shelters ahead of the storm.

State results reported by Vero News in June 2018 showed large math gains at Treasure Coast Elementary: 4th grade math proficiency rose from 63 to 72 percent and 5th grade math from 59 to 73 percent, while 5th grade English language arts rose from 58 to 60 percent.

School grades have followed. When the Florida Department of Education released 2021-22 grades, the School District of Indian River County reported that Treasure Coast Elementary was among the schools that increased one letter grade, from a C to a B, compared with the 2018-19 school year, according to Vero News in July 2022. In the same release the district reported that its state ranking had improved from 38th in 2018-2019 to 22nd in 2021-2022, with Treasure Coast Elementary among the north Indian River County schools moving up. A December 2023 Vero News column added that four district elementary schools, Glendale, Citrus, Pelican Island and Treasure Coast, improved one letter grade in 2022-23.

That improvement brought money to the Sebastian campus. Florida School Recognition Program bonuses go to schools that earn an A or move up at least one letter grade, and Vero News reported in August 2024 that Treasure Coast Elementary netted $120,489 for 38 teachers and instructional staff and 32 non-classroom employees for the 2022-23 school year, the largest award among the four north county schools listed. The district as a whole earned its third consecutive A rating in July 2025 and ranked fifth of Florida's 67 districts, according to Vero News.

District capital projects have reached the Sebastian school. In May 2019, Vero News reported that the School District of Indian River County would spend $500,000 on new food service equipment, including new ovens, steamers, warming cabinets and reach-in coolers, with Treasure Coast Elementary receiving $97,325 of it. In August 2023, Vero News reported that Treasure Coast Elementary School was among four Indian River County schools, with Indian River Academy, Dodgertown Elementary and Pelican Island Elementary, opening the year with new principals drawn from within the district.