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R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1854^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School is a public elementary school in Lakeland, Florida, serving 686 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Polk School District. The school faces significant challenges, with consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, academic performance below district and state averages, and a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students.

Compared to nearby schools, R. Clem Churchwell Elementary generally underperforms on academic measures. For example, Sleepy Hill Elementary and Wendell Watson Elementary have significantly higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math. Additionally, the nearby public magnet school, Rochelle School of the Arts, outperforms R. Clem Churchwell Elementary across multiple academic measures.

The school's high chronic absenteeism rates and high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, ranging from 52.68% to 66.91% over the past few years, suggest that addressing these challenges may be key to improving academic outcomes. The school's lower per-student spending and higher student-teacher ratios compared to some nearby schools may also be contributing factors to its academic performance. Exploring the practices and strategies used by higher-performing schools in the area could provide valuable insights for improving R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School.

662

Students ?

16.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,870

Per pupil spending ?

73.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8201 Park Byrd Rd
Lakeland, FL 33810

(863) 853-6011

District: Polk

Students who attend R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Kathleen Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

39.9%

White:

37.6%

African American:

16.6%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 35th percentile in 2014 → 18th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (39% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school39%

District avg49%

Florida avg58%

1,854^th of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From bottom 28% (2016) to bottom 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

61^st 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	21.7	1854 of 2258	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.1	1707 of 2256	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.3	1708 of 2240	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.4	1337 of 2219	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.6	1377 of 2247	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.7	1064 of 2182	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.2	623 of 2118	70.6%	★★★★☆
2017	63.7	752 of 2112	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	30.4	1502 of 2087	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	36.9	1335 of 2064	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	49.1	1024 of 2029	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	41.5	1193 of 1984	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	40.4	1267 of 1985	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	38.0	1275 of 1919	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	23.2	1517 of 1847	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	35.4	1235 of 1789	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	40.4	1128 of 1786	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	30.8	1209 of 1688	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts44%-12 vs state

Math38%-23 vs state

Science25%-30 vs state

★

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Schools Near R. Clem Churchwell 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
R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8201 Park Byrd Rd	Lakeland	33810	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 853-6011	662	41	16.1	73.7%	249 (37.6%)	110 (16.6%)	264 (39.9%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	35 (5.3%)	21.7	1854^th of 2258 public elementary schools	17.9%		27.1	1707^th of 2256 public elementary schools	24.3%	147	62.0	41.0	29.0	54.0	45.0	16.0	25.0	$10,870	$1,537	$9,334
Dr. NE Roberts Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6600 Green Rd	Lakeland	33810	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 815-6633	697	34	20.5	72.9%	280 (40.2%)	124 (17.8%)	269 (38.6%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	16 (2.3%)	24.6	1791^st of 2258 public elementary schools	20.7%		34.5	1502^nd of 2256 public elementary schools	33.4%	289	35.0	44.0	49.0	39.0	46.0	40.0	50.0	$10,776	$1,622	$9,154
Socrum Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	9400 Old Dade City Rd	Lakeland	33810	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 853-6050	523	29	18.0	81.3%	252 (48.2%)	88 (16.8%)	162 (31.0%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.1%)	29.1	1672^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	26.0%		29.6	1634^th of 2256 public elementary schools	27.6%	38	34.0	36.0	40.0	46.0	56.0	62.0	48.0	$14,810	$1,704	$13,105
Kathleen Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3515 Sheretz Rd	Lakeland	33810	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 853-6030	453	29	15.6	78.8%	192 (42.4%)	89 (19.6%)	159 (35.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.4%)	20.9	1876^th of 2258 public elementary schools	16.9%		25.1	1763^rd of 2256 public elementary schools	21.9%	113	41.0	45.0	37.0	41.0	50.0	36.0	42.0	$12,376	$1,886	$10,490
Edgar L. Padgett Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	110 Leelon Rd	Lakeland	33809	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 853-6044	531	32	16.5	71.4%	196 (36.9%)	136 (25.6%)	168 (31.6%)	9 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.0%)	28.9	1678^th of 2258 public elementary schools	25.7%		32.9	1538^th of 2256 public elementary schools	31.8%	140	43.0	42.0	40.0	53.0	61.0	38.0	46.0	$11,696	$1,889	$9,806
Sleepy Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2285 Sleepy Hill Rd	Lakeland	33810	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 815-6768	711	45	15.8	80.0%	180 (25.3%)	172 (24.2%)	317 (44.6%)	6 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (4.8%)	24.7	1790^th of 2258 public elementary schools	20.7%		35.2	1485^th of 2256 public elementary schools	34.2%	305	42.0	44.0	40.0	49.0	41.0	47.0	44.0	$11,576	$1,844	$9,732
Wendell Watson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6800 Walt Williams Rd	Lakeland	33809	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 853-6060	764	45	16.9	58.6%	360 (47.1%)	110 (14.4%)	253 (33.1%)	5 (0.7%)	9 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.5%)	28.9	1677^th of 2258 public elementary schools	25.7%		40.5	1331^st of 2256 public elementary schools	41.0%	346	41.0	50.0	48.0	49.0	51.0	40.0	44.0	$10,869	$1,365	$9,504
Griffin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3315 Kathleen Rd	Lakeland	33810	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 853-6020	431	19	22.6	80.7%	80 (18.6%)	156 (36.2%)	168 (39.0%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.6%)	21.4	1864^th of 2258 public elementary schools	17.4%		29	1649^th of 2256 public elementary schools	26.9%	215	37.0	35.0	33.0	55.0	40.0	45.0	47.0	$10,784	$1,581	$9,202
Elementary - N Lakeland	Public	PK, KG-5	3315 Kathleen Road	Lakeland	33810	Polk County	Polk	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(863) 853-6020	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
North Lakeland Elementary School Of Choice	Public	PK, KG-5	410 Robson St W	Lakeland	33805	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 499-2850	658	38	17.3	77.5%	137 (20.8%)	187 (28.4%)	302 (45.9%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (4.3%)	6.2	2204^th of 2258 public elementary schools	2.4%		13.2	2081^st of 2256 public elementary schools	7.8%	123	27.0	28.0	25.0	28.0	42.0	22.0	25.0	$11,087	$1,972	$9,115

Frequently Asked Questions about R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School

How many students attend R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 662 students attended R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School attend?

Students who attend R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Kathleen Senior High School

What is the racial makeup of R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School?

Students at R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School are 40% Hispanic, 38% White, 17% African American, 5% Two or more races.

What district is R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School in?

Polk

Is R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School a good school?

R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School ranks in the bottom 17.9% of Florida elementary schools.

Rate R. Clem Churchwell 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.