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Spessard L Holland Elementary

Q: Is Spessard L Holland Elementary a good school?

Spessard L Holland Elementary ranks 1600 th of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1600^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 29% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Spessard L Holland Elementary is a public elementary school in Bartow, Florida, serving 769 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Polk School District, which is ranked 61 out of 67 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Spessard L Holland Elementary faces several challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 30.9% to 42.7% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages. The school's test scores are also generally below the state and district averages across various subjects and grade levels, such as 5th grade Science (37% proficiency), 3rd grade ELA (46% proficiency), and 5th grade Math (44% proficiency). Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 51.7% to 61.9% over the past few years, indicating a higher proportion of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

When comparing Spessard L Holland Elementary to nearby schools, some interesting patterns emerge. Scott Lake Elementary and Highlands Grove Elementary have higher test scores and lower chronic absenteeism rates than Spessard L Holland Elementary, despite being in the same district. Additionally, South McKeel Academy, a public charter school, consistently outperforms Spessard L Holland Elementary and other nearby public schools in both test scores and school rankings. While Spessard L Holland Elementary has increased its spending per student over the years, from $9,103 in 2020-2021 to $11,176 in 2023-2024, this increased spending has not yet resulted in significant improvements in academic performance.

843

Students ?

17.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,804

Per pupil spending ?

64.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2342 Ef Griffin Rd
Bartow, FL 33830

(863) 648-3031

District: Polk

Students who attend Spessard L Holland Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Bartow Middle School
High:	Bartow Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

35.3%

Hispanic:

30.0%

African American:

28.5%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Spessard L Holland Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 46th percentile in 2014 → 29th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (47% vs 58% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (43% vs 31% Florida)

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg49%

Florida avg58%

1,600^th of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 26 pts since 2016

From top 45% (2016) to bottom 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

38^th 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	31.6	1600 of 2258	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.6	1328 of 2256	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.4	1432 of 2240	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.2	1155 of 2219	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.0	1193 of 2247	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.2	1287 of 2182	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.7	844 of 2118	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	69.8	619 of 2112	70.7%	★★★★☆
2016	54.8	938 of 2087	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	46.0	1111 of 2064	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	48.7	1037 of 2029	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	44.2	1128 of 1984	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	33.9	1385 of 1985	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	32.6	1385 of 1919	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts49%-7 vs state

Math48%-13 vs state

Science37%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Spessard L Holland Elementary

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 English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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%)	31.6	1600^th of 2258 public elementary schools	29.1%		40.6	1328^th of 2256 public elementary schools	41.1%	272	46.0	61.0	41.0		43.0	57.0	44.0			37.0	$10,804	$1,659	$9,144
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%)	47.7	1166^th of 2258 public elementary schools	48.4%		58.8	886^th of 2256 public elementary schools	60.7%	280	49.0	63.0	43.0		64.0	59.0	67.0			45.0	$13,608	$1,784	$11,823
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
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%)	51.6	1079^th of 2258 public elementary schools	52.2%		41.2	1309^th of 2256 public elementary schools	42.0%	230	67.0	47.0	55.0		65.0	58.0	52.0			50.0	$17,386	$3,625	$13,761
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
Bartow Elementary Academy	Public, Magnet	K-5	590 Wilson Ave S	Bartow	33830	Polk County	Polk	No	Yes	No	No	(863) 534-7410	524	34	15.4	49.0%	266 (50.8%)	86 (16.4%)	125 (23.9%)	16 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (5.7%)	71.5	593^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	73.7%		73.2	568^th of 2256 public elementary schools	74.8%	25	76.0	68.0	67.0		77.0	58.0	66.0			58.0	$11,212	$1,323	$9,888
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
Floral Avenue Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1530 Floral Ave S	Bartow	33830	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 534-7420	585	38	15.3	70.9%	282 (48.2%)	92 (15.7%)	184 (31.5%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	20 (3.4%)	31.3	1606^th of 2258 public elementary schools	28.9%		38.8	1375^th of 2256 public elementary schools	39.1%	231	34.0	42.0	56.0		33.0	61.0	52.0			50.0	$11,644	$1,787	$9,856
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%)	17.7	1977^th of 2258 public elementary schools	12.4%		54.2	988^th of 2256 public elementary schools	56.2%	989	34.0	43.0	41.0		37.0	37.0	43.0			40.0	$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%)	89.3	188^th of 2258 public elementary schools	91.7%		89.6	190^th of 2256 public elementary schools	91.6%	2	83.0	75.0	74.0	83.0	83.0	82.0	75.0	93.0	100.0	80.0	$9,708	$467	$9,240

Frequently Asked Questions about Spessard L Holland Elementary

What district is Spessard L Holland Elementary in?

Polk

Is Spessard L Holland Elementary a good school?

Spessard L Holland Elementary ranks 1600^th of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Spessard L Holland Elementary attend?

Students who attend Spessard L Holland Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bartow Middle School
High : Bartow Senior High School

What is the racial makeup of Spessard L Holland Elementary?

Students at Spessard L Holland Elementary are 35% White, 30% Hispanic, 28% African American, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Spessard L Holland Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 843 students attended Spessard L Holland Elementary.

Rate Spessard L Holland Elementary!

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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.