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Highland City Elementary School

Q: Is Highland City Elementary School a good school?

Highland City Elementary School ranks 1195 th of 2240 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1195^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 47% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Highland City Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Highland City, FL, serving 414 students in grades PK-5 within the Polk County School District, where about 63.5% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

One of the school's standout strengths is its 5th Grade Science program, with 66% of students proficient—17 points above the district average and 6 points above the state. This consistent performance over the past four years sets it apart from nearby schools like Crystal Lake Elementary (30%) and Oscar J. Pope Elementary (26%). However, math scores tell a more complex story: while 3rd and 5th graders perform well above district and state averages, 4th graders experience a significant slump, with only 48% proficient—17 points below the state. This pattern is unique to Highland City compared to peers like Scott Lake Elementary, which shows more consistent math growth across grades. Chronic absenteeism, at around 30%, is a persistent challenge but notably better than the district average (39.1%) and nearby schools like Spessard L Holland Elementary (42.7%).

Despite its 2-star rating (47th percentile statewide), Highland City is a relative bright spot in a low-performing district. It outperforms many nearby schools, including Crystal Lake Elementary and Oscar J. Pope Elementary, which rank in the bottom 10-20% of Florida. The school spends $13,608 per student—higher than peers like Valleyview Elementary ($11,059), a 4-star school just 1.8 miles away that outperforms Highland City in most subjects. This suggests room for growth, particularly in addressing the 4th-grade math slump and improving overall ELA scores. With its strong science program and relatively better attendance, Highland City has solid foundations to build upon for future improvement.

414

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,608

Per pupil spending ?

63.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5355 9th Street SE
Highland City, FL 33846

(863) 648-3540

District: Polk

Students who attend Highland City Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Bartow Middle School
High:	Bartow Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.6%

Hispanic:

33.6%

African American:

9.9%

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Compare Highland City Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 56th percentile in 2016 → 47th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school59%

District avg53%

Florida avg62%

1,195^th of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 47%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From top 44% (2016) to bottom 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

26^th of 86Elementary Schools in the Polk

61^st of 70Polk 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
2026	47.9	1195 of 2240	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.7	1166 of 2258	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.8	886 of 2256	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.1	1285 of 2240	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.3	1011 of 2219	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.4	1173 of 2247	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.5	1000 of 2182	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.5	1016 of 2118	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	47.2	1120 of 2112	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	56.2	910 of 2087	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	24.4	1638 of 2064	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	35.9	1334 of 2029	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	42.1	1178 of 1984	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	46.9	1124 of 1985	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	46.5	1107 of 1919	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	53.9	902 of 1847	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	47.0	1000 of 1789	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	42.6	1086 of 1786	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	46.8	926 of 1688	45.1%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Science66%+6 vs state

Math64%~ state avg

English Language Arts53%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Highland City Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				FAST English Language Arts (2026)						FAST Math (2026)						Statewide Science Science (2026)		EOC Algebra 1 (2026)	EOC Civics (2026)	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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Highland City Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5355 9th Street SE	Highland City	33846	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 648-3540	414	28	14.7	63.5%	197 (47.6%)	41 (9.9%)	139 (33.6%)	6 (1.4%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.0%)	47.9	1195^th of 2240 public elementary schools	46.7%		47.7	1166^th of 2258 public elementary schools	48.4%	29	54.0	44.0	62.0				69.0	48.0	72.0				66.0				$13,608	$1,784	$11,823
Spessard L Holland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2342 Ef Griffin Rd	Bartow	33830	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 648-3031	843	49	17.2	64.5%	298 (35.3%)	240 (28.5%)	253 (30.0%)	16 (1.9%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	31 (3.7%)	21.6	1886^th of 2240 public elementary schools	15.8%		31.6	1600^th of 2258 public elementary schools	29.1%	286	44.0	53.0	51.0				45.0	42.0	39.0				48.0				$10,804	$1,659	$9,144
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%)	74.7	511^th of 2240 public elementary schools	77.2%		79.4	416^th of 2258 public elementary schools	81.6%	95	73.0	71.0	69.0				73.0	70.0	82.0				69.0				$11,059	$1,070	$9,989
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%)	65.7	734^th of 2240 public elementary schools	67.2%		70.2	636^th of 2258 public elementary schools	71.8%	98	81.0	58.0	68.0				76.0	50.0	73.0				70.0				$12,216	$1,547	$10,670
Oscar J. Pope Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2730 Maine Ave	Lakeland	33801	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 499-2992	365	19	19.2	80.8%	102 (27.9%)	74 (20.3%)	173 (47.4%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.8%)	11.2	2121^st of 2240 public elementary schools	5.3%		17.7	1977^th of 2258 public elementary schools	12.4%	144	31.0	34.0	37.0				38.0	37.0	58.0				26.0				$12,313	$1,606	$10,707
South McKeel Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	2222 Edgewood Dr S	Lakeland	33803	Polk County	Polk	Yes	No	No	No	(863) 510-0044	1,200	69	17.3	56.3%	719 (59.9%)	103 (8.6%)	252 (21.0%)	66 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	59 (4.9%)	89.4	145^th of 2240 public elementary schools	93.5%		89.3	188^th of 2258 public elementary schools	91.7%	43	88.0	82.0	74.0	84.0			89.0	92.0	82.0	85.0		100.0	82.0				$9,708	$467	$9,240
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%)	56.7	966^th of 2240 public elementary schools	56.9%		57.7	930^th of 2258 public elementary schools	58.8%	36	58.0	72.0	65.0				57.0	71.0	66.0				55.0				$11,561	$1,488	$10,074
Mi Escuela Montessori	Public, Charter	PK, KG-7	2130 E Edgewood Dr	Lakeland	33803	Polk County	Polk	Yes	No	No	No	(863) 934-2780	275	22	12.6	48.4%	89 (32.4%)	9 (3.3%)	160 (58.2%)	5 (1.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.0%)	33	1587^th of 2240 public elementary schools	29.2%		28.1	1700^th of 2258 public elementary schools	24.7%	113	48.0	66.0	61.0	66.0	69.0	77.0	40.0	50.0	32.0	59.0	47.0		32.0	67.0	100.0	56.0	$10,345	$471	$9,874
James E. Stephens Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	1350 Maple Ave N	Bartow	33830	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 534-7455	336	23	14.6	79.2%	74 (22.0%)	138 (41.1%)	106 (31.5%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (3.9%)	52.7	1081^st of 2240 public elementary schools	51.7%		51.6	1079^th of 2258 public elementary schools	52.2%	2	69.0	52.0	52.0				69.0	61.0	70.0				59.0				$17,386	$3,625	$13,761
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%)	34.7	1536^th of 2240 public elementary schools	31.4%		34.2	1520^th of 2258 public elementary schools	32.7%	16	55.0	68.0	44.0				59.0	55.0	44.0				31.0				$12,914	$1,902	$11,011

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland City Elementary School

Is Highland City Elementary School a good school?

Highland City Elementary School ranks 1195^th of 2240 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Highland City Elementary School?

Students at Highland City Elementary School are 48% White, 34% Hispanic, 10% African American, 7% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Highland City Elementary School in?

Polk

What schools do graduates of Highland City Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Highland City Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bartow Middle School
High : Bartow Senior High School

How many students attend Highland City Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 414 students attended Highland City Elementary School.

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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.