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Medulla Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1857^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Medulla Elementary School is a public elementary school in Lakeland, Florida, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 503 students. The school is part of the Polk School District, which is ranked 61 out of 67 districts in Florida and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Medulla Elementary has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of Florida elementary schools, with a ranking between 1,159 and 2,063 over the past 10 years, and has maintained a 1- or 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Medulla Elementary stands out for its significantly higher chronic absenteeism rates, lower test scores, and higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch compared to the Polk district and state averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Medulla's 5th-grade science proficiency rate was 45%, compared to the Polk district average of 45% and the state average of 55%. Additionally, Medulla Elementary spends more per student ($12,501 in 2023-2024) compared to the Polk district average, but this higher spending does not seem to translate into improved student outcomes.

When comparing Medulla Elementary to nearby schools in the Polk district, such as Willow Oak School and Valleyview Elementary School, it becomes clear that Medulla is an underperforming school. These nearby schools have significantly higher test scores, lower chronic absenteeism rates, and lower free/reduced lunch rates. Despite consistent funding and resources, Medulla Elementary has not shown significant improvement in its performance over the past 10 years, indicating a need for a more comprehensive approach to addressing the school's challenges.

488

Students ?

16.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,878

Per pupil spending ?

73%

Free/discounted lunch ?

850 Schoolhouse Rd
Lakeland, FL 33813

(863) 648-3515

District: Polk

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

41.8%

White:

28.3%

African American:

24.4%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 32nd percentile in 2014 → 18th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (41% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (41% vs 31% Florida)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg49%

Florida avg58%

1,857^th of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▼ down 20 pts since 2016

From bottom 38% (2016) to bottom 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

62^nd of 86Elementary Schools in the Polk

61^st of 67Polk among Florida districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2025	21.6	1857 of 2258	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.3	1584 of 2256	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.0	1585 of 2240	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.2	1313 of 2219	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.2	1389 of 2247	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.6	1159 of 2182	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.9	1346 of 2118	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	47.4	1117 of 2112	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	38.8	1297 of 2087	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	34.2	1407 of 2064	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	35.5	1345 of 2029	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	46.2	1081 of 1984	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	35.1	1365 of 1985	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	39.1	1253 of 1919	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	31.7	1367 of 1847	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	39.9	1138 of 1789	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	31.8	1275 of 1786	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	29.4	1228 of 1688	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

Science45%-10 vs state

English Language Arts42%-14 vs state

Math39%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Medulla Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				FAST English Language Arts (2025)			FAST Math (2025)			Statewide Science Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Medulla Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	850 Schoolhouse Rd	Lakeland	33813	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 648-3515	488	29	16.8	73.0%	138 (28.3%)	119 (24.4%)	204 (41.8%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.5%)	21.6	1857^th of 2258 public elementary schools	17.8%		31.3	1584^th of 2256 public elementary schools	29.8%	273	56.0	33.0	39.0	45.0	33.0	40.0	45.0	$12,878	$2,001	$10,876
Scott Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1140 County Road 540a E	Lakeland	33813	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 648-3520	735	47	15.6	55.0%	374 (50.9%)	112 (15.2%)	200 (27.2%)	20 (2.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	27 (3.7%)	57.7	930^th of 2258 public elementary schools	58.8%		68.5	676^th of 2256 public elementary schools	70.0%	254	67.0	56.0	57.0	67.0	64.0	60.0	48.0	$11,561	$1,488	$10,074
Carlton Palmore Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3725 Clevelnd Hts Blvd	Lakeland	33803	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 648-3510	402	26	15.4	66.7%	173 (43.0%)	89 (22.1%)	112 (27.9%)	5 (1.2%)	4 (1.0%)	3 (0.7%)	16 (4.0%)	34.2	1520^th of 2258 public elementary schools	32.7%		26.7	1720^th of 2256 public elementary schools	23.8%	200	56.0	49.0	52.0	53.0	42.0	44.0	40.0	$12,914	$1,902	$11,011
R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5500 Yates Rd	Lakeland	33811	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 701-1450	899	58	15.5	65.0%	312 (34.7%)	103 (11.5%)	430 (47.8%)	18 (2.0%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (3.4%)	53.1	1040^th of 2258 public elementary schools	53.9%		49.2	1109^th of 2256 public elementary schools	50.8%	69	59.0	59.0	53.0	62.0	65.0	55.0	51.0	$11,450	$1,689	$9,760
James W. Sikes Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2727 Shepherd Rd	Lakeland	33811	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 648-3525	502	35	14.3	61.6%	230 (45.8%)	69 (13.7%)	176 (35.1%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.6%)	50.7	1098^th of 2258 public elementary schools	51.4%		59	884^th of 2256 public elementary schools	60.8%	214	64.0	53.0	58.0	57.0	67.0	46.0	53.0	$12,290	$1,571	$10,720
Highlands Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4510 Lakeland Highlands Rd	Lakeland	33813	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 648-3002	691	46	15.0	50.1%	352 (50.9%)	101 (14.6%)	194 (28.1%)	20 (2.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (3.3%)	70.2	636^th of 2258 public elementary schools	71.8%		72.9	576^th of 2256 public elementary schools	74.5%	60	69.0	61.0	62.0	65.0	70.0	73.0	64.0	$12,216	$1,547	$10,670
Cleveland Court Elementary School	Public	K-5	328 Edgewood Dr E	Lakeland	33803	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 499-2929	374	27	13.8	54.0%	153 (40.9%)	90 (24.1%)	109 (29.1%)	12 (3.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.4%)	76	495^th of 2258 public elementary schools	78.1%		77.1	477^th of 2256 public elementary schools	78.9%	18	77.0	72.0	63.0	84.0	70.0	66.0	54.0	$13,187	$1,655	$11,533
Southwest Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2650 Southwest Ave	Lakeland	33803	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 499-2830	376	31	12.1	77.7%	123 (32.7%)	79 (21.0%)	146 (38.8%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.6%)	43.7	1255^th of 2258 public elementary schools	44.4%		47.4	1161^st of 2256 public elementary schools	48.5%	94	49.0	48.0	55.0	44.0	40.0	71.0	71.0	$14,321	$2,064	$12,257
Willow Oak School	Public	PK, KG-5	4815 Bailey Road	Mulberry	33860	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 417-6670	996	63	15.8	79.0%	331 (33.2%)	58 (5.8%)	584 (58.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (2.1%)	27.1	1723^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	23.7%		31	1595^th of 2256 public elementary schools	29.3%	128	47.0	39.0	42.0	59.0	49.0	48.0	32.0	$10,696	$1,727	$8,968
Valleyview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2900 State Rd 540a E	Lakeland	33813	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	No	(863) 648-3535	783	52	15.0	41.4%	412 (52.6%)	117 (14.9%)	184 (23.5%)	43 (5.5%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (2.8%)	79.4	416^th of 2258 public elementary schools	81.6%		84.4	313^th of 2256 public elementary schools	86.1%	103	67.0	70.0	66.0	71.0	78.0	82.0	70.0	$11,059	$1,070	$9,989

Frequently Asked Questions about Medulla Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Medulla Elementary School?

Students at Medulla Elementary School are 42% Hispanic, 28% White, 24% African American, 5% Two or more races.

How many students attend Medulla Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 488 students attended Medulla Elementary School.

Is Medulla Elementary School a good school?

Medulla Elementary School ranks in the bottom 17.8% of Florida elementary schools.

What district is Medulla Elementary School in?

Polk

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.