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Hardee Junior High School

Q: Is Hardee Junior High School a good school?

Hardee Junior High School ranks 239 th of 844 Florida high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-12

239^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 844 Florida High Schools

Better than 72% of Florida high schools

Summary

Hardee Junior High School is a public school in Wauchula, Florida, serving grades 6-12 with a total enrollment of 1,089 students. The school is part of the Hardee School District, which is ranked 53 out of 67 districts in Florida and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Hardee Junior High School faces several challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 30.9% to 36.5% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school's test scores are generally below the state averages across various subjects and grade levels, with proficiency rates in FAST/English Language Arts and FAST/Math for 6th-8th grades being 5-13 percentage points lower than the state averages. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 63.55% to 74.23% over the past few years, indicating a relatively high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

Interestingly, Hardee Junior High School's performance is generally lower than the nearby Hardee Senior High School and Hill-Gustat Middle School, which are also in the same district or a neighboring district. For example, Hardee Senior High School has higher graduation rates and better test scores in several subjects. Hardee Junior High School's statewide ranking has also declined from a high of 161 out of 792 Florida high schools in 2022-2023 to 340 out of 807 in 2023-2024, suggesting that the school's performance may be declining relative to other schools in the state.

958

Students ?

17.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,555

Per pupil spending ?

76.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2401 Us Highway 17 N
Wauchula, FL 33873

(863) 773-3147

District: Hardee

Feeder schools for Hardee Junior High School:

Elementary:	Bowling Green Elementary School
	Hilltop Elementary School
	North Wauchula Elementary School
	Wauchula Elementary School
	More...
	Zolfo Springs Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

64.1%

White:

27.3%

African American:

6.2%

See top rated Florida high schools

Compare Hardee Junior High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 60th percentile in 2016 → 72nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Florida median (72nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (52% vs 58% meeting standards)

!Math scores 11 pts below the Florida average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg50%

Florida avg58%

Middle school

759^th of 1,205

Florida public middle schools ?

Bottom 37%▲ up 11 pts since 2016

From bottom 26% (2016) to bottom 37% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

239^th of 844

Florida public high schools ?

Top 28%▲ up 12 pts since 2016

From top 40% (2016) to top 28% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2High Schools in the Hardee

53^rd of 67Hardee 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2025	39.1	759 of 1205	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.3	696 of 1196	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.1	709 of 1177	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.6	707 of 1148	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.8	710 of 1136	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.2	649 of 1099	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.0	659 of 1035	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	28.4	744 of 1031	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	27.5	736 of 997	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	24.5	782 of 999	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	24.2	738 of 956	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	31.8	629 of 897	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	37.9	597 of 891	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	41.4	545 of 839	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	37.0	532 of 780	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	40.6	484 of 740	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	32.4	527 of 736	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	33.4	472 of 675	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	35.0	426 of 602	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	36.9	403 of 593	32.0%	★★☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2025	57.4	239 of 844	71.7%	★★★★☆
2024	46.8	340 of 807	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.4	161 of 792	79.7%	★★★★☆
2022	44.7	336 of 774	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.8	293 of 746	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.7	377 of 734	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.3	488 of 716	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	20.2	536 of 714	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	49.4	279 of 693	59.7%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

Algebra 190%+30 vs state

Civics70%~ state avg

Science50%~ state avg

English Language Arts49%-8 vs state

Math46%-11 vs state

1.0

1 rating

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1★1

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Schools Near Hardee Junior High 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)	EOC Algebra 1 (2025)	EOC Geometry (2025)	EOC Biology 1 (2025)	EOC US History (2025)	EOC Civics (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 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 9th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 10th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Biology 1 End of Course	EOC US History End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hardee Junior High School	Public	6-12	2401 Us Highway 17 N	Wauchula	33873	Hardee County	Hardee	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 773-3147	958	55	17.4	76.8%	262 (27.3%)	59 (6.2%)	614 (64.1%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (1.8%)	57.4	239^th of 844 public high schools	71.7%		46.8	340^th of 807 public high schools	57.9%	101	52.0	47.0	48.0			48.0	50.0	35.0	50.0	90.0				70.0	$10,555	$1,179	$9,375
Pioneer Career Academy	Public	6-12	200 S Florida Ave	Wauchula	33873	Hardee County	Hardee	No	No	No	No	(863) 735-2300	27	1	27.0	88.9%	5 (18.5%)	2 (7.4%)	19 (70.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.7%)								(n/a)
Hardee Senior High School	Public	9-12	830 Altman Rd	Wauchula	33873	Hardee County	Hardee	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 773-3181	1,347	60	22.4	70.9%	354 (26.3%)	65 (4.8%)	893 (66.3%)	15 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	19 (1.4%)	37.6	490^th of 844 public high schools	41.9%		39.4	424^th of 807 public high schools	47.5%	66				43.0	53.0					34.0	39.0	67.0	71.0		$9,635	$1,001	$8,634
Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School	Public	6-12	700 Edgewood Dr N	Fort Meade	33841	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 285-1180	731	46	15.8	76.6%	216 (29.5%)	107 (14.6%)	390 (53.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	14 (1.9%)	42.4	431^st of 844 public high schools	48.9%		54.1	260^th of 807 public high schools	67.8%	171	40.0	40.0	37.0	46.0	55.0	43.0	40.0	63.0	33.0	63.0	36.0	69.0	62.0		$13,659	$1,695	$11,964

Frequently Asked Questions about Hardee Junior High School

How many students attend Hardee Junior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 958 students attended Hardee Junior High School.

What is the racial makeup of Hardee Junior High School?

Students at Hardee Junior High School are 64% Hispanic, 27% White, 6% African American, 2% Two or more races.

What district is Hardee Junior High School in?

Hardee

What schools feed into Hardee Junior High School?

Hardee Junior High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bowling Green Elementary School
Elementary : Hilltop Elementary School
Elementary : North Wauchula Elementary School
Elementary : Wauchula Elementary School
Elementary : Zolfo Springs Elementary School

Is Hardee Junior High School a good school?

Hardee Junior High School ranks 239^th of 844 Florida high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Hardee Junior High School!

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Schools in Wauchula, FL

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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.