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Wauchula Elementary School

Q: Is Wauchula Elementary School a good school?

Wauchula Elementary School ranks 1029 th of 2240 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1029^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 54% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Wauchula Elementary School in Wauchula, FL, serves 577 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade and is part of the Hardee school district, a high-poverty area where 75.74% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Wauchula Elementary stands out as the top-performing school in the Hardee district, consistently earning a 3-star rating and ranking in the top half of all Florida elementary schools (54th percentile). This is a remarkable achievement given that the district itself ranks in the bottom 20% statewide. In the latest data, Wauchula significantly outperforms its district peers: Zolfo Springs Elementary School (46th percentile), Bowling Green Elementary School (36th percentile), Hilltop Elementary School (21st percentile), and North Wauchula Elementary School (23rd percentile). For example, 77% of Wauchula's 3rd graders are proficient in math, compared to the district average of 59%, and 66% are proficient in ELA versus the district's 53%. The school also has a lower chronic absenteeism rate (32.2%) than the district average (35.4%) and much lower than Bowling Green (39.6%) and Hilltop (39.5%).

Math is a clear strength at Wauchula, with proficiency rates that often meet or exceed state averages. The school also showed impressive resilience after the pandemic, quickly rebounding from a 2-star rating in 2020-2021 back to 3 stars by 2022-2023. While Wauchula is a bright spot in its district, it is not the top performer in the broader region. For comparison, Sun 'n Lake Elementary School in the Highlands district ranks higher (69th percentile) with lower chronic absenteeism (24.9%) and a lower poverty rate (62.93% free/reduced lunch). Still, Wauchula Elementary appears to use its resources efficiently, spending $12,166 per student—less than some lower-performing peers—while achieving stronger academic outcomes.

577

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,166

Per pupil spending ?

75.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

400 S Florida Ave
Wauchula, FL 33873

(863) 773-3141

District: Hardee

Students who attend Wauchula Elementary School usually attend:

High:	Hardee Junior High School
	Hardee Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.4%

White:

29.8%

African American:

9.9%

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Compare Wauchula Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 55th percentile in 2016 → 54th in 2026

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Hardee

✓Above the Florida median (54th percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school63%

District avg55%

Florida avg62%

1,029^th of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Top 46%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Elementary Schools in the Hardee

60^th of 70Hardee 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	54.6	1029 of 2240	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.3	849 of 2258	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.6	906 of 2256	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.4	805 of 2240	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.8	1167 of 2219	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.9	1240 of 2247	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.0	789 of 2182	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.9	802 of 2118	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	55.2	922 of 2112	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	54.8	939 of 2087	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	64.9	700 of 2064	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	57.4	849 of 2029	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	53.1	932 of 1984	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	50.6	1031 of 1985	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	60.5	806 of 1919	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	65.5	652 of 1847	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	57.0	805 of 1789	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	65.6	648 of 1786	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	51.2	845 of 1688	49.9%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Math66%~ state avg

English Language Arts61%~ state avg

Science57%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Wauchula 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)	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 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
Wauchula Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	400 S Florida Ave	Wauchula	33873	Hardee County	Hardee	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 773-3141	577	37	15.5	75.7%	172 (29.8%)	57 (9.9%)	331 (57.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.6%)	54.6	1029^th of 2240 public elementary schools	54.1%		61.3	849^th of 2258 public elementary schools	62.4%	180	66.0	63.0	53.0	77.0	58.0	65.0	57.0	$12,166	$1,800	$10,366
Hardee Virtual Instruction Program (District Provided)	Public, Virtual	K-5	1009 N 6th Ave	Wauchula	33873	Hardee County	Hardee	No	No	Yes	No	(863) 773-9058	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
North Wauchula Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1120 N Florida Ave	Wauchula	33873	Hardee County	Hardee	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 773-2183	516	36	14.3	76.9%	145 (28.1%)	48 (9.3%)	312 (60.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.7%)	27.7	1724^th of 2240 public elementary schools	23.0%		25.3	1775^th of 2258 public elementary schools	21.4%	51	56.0	51.0	37.0	61.0	54.0	42.0	41.0	$12,299	$1,985	$10,313
Hilltop Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2401 Us Highway 17 N	Wauchula	33873	Hardee County	Hardee	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 773-2750	298	19	15.6	76.8%	58 (19.5%)	18 (6.0%)	213 (71.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.3%)	25.9	1767^th of 2240 public elementary schools	21.1%		33	1557^th of 2258 public elementary schools	31.0%	210	44.0	49.0	53.0	44.0	45.0	64.0	38.0	$11,993	$2,161	$9,831
Zolfo Springs Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3215 School House Rd	Zolfo Springs	33890	Hardee County	Hardee	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 773-5473	512	35	14.6	78.5%	187 (36.5%)	3 (0.6%)	305 (59.6%)	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.0%)	47.3	1216^th of 2240 public elementary schools	45.7%		40	1365^th of 2258 public elementary schools	39.5%	149	50.0	57.0	59.0	57.0	70.0	66.0	54.0	$11,916	$1,791	$10,126
Bowling Green Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4530 Church Ave	Bowling Green	33834	Hardee County	Hardee	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 773-5471	260	18	14.4	82.7%	82 (31.5%)	11 (4.2%)	161 (61.9%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)								(n/a)								$13,792	$2,195	$11,597
Lewis Anna Woodbury Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	610 Charleston Ave S	Fort Meade	33841	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 285-1133	593	34	17.4	78.8%	179 (30.2%)	62 (10.5%)	334 (56.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.9%)	17.5	1990^th of 2240 public elementary schools	11.2%		25.2	1779^th of 2258 public elementary schools	21.2%	211	51.0	49.0	35.0	47.0	54.0	37.0	33.0	$11,466	$1,711	$9,755
Scenic Terrace K-8	Public	K-8	2799 Sr 17	Haines City	33844	Polk County	Polk	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(863) 534-0500	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Sun 'n Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4515 Ponce De Leon Blvd	Sebring	33872	Highlands County	Highlands	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 471-5464	588	33	17.8	62.9%	208 (35.4%)	139 (23.6%)	188 (32.0%)	22 (3.7%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (4.8%)	64.1	781^st of 2240 public elementary schools	65.1%		68.1	689^th of 2258 public elementary schools	69.5%	92	65.0	71.0	59.0	77.0	71.0	68.0	56.0	$10,774	$1,366	$9,408
Avon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	705 Winthrop St	Avon Park	33825	Highlands County	Highlands	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 452-4355	503	35	14.3	68.8%	127 (25.2%)	98 (19.5%)	257 (51.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.0%)	55.5	1004^th of 2240 public elementary schools	55.2%		51.1	1089^th of 2258 public elementary schools	51.8%	85	48.0	49.0	64.0	72.0	68.0	74.0	65.0	$14,653	$3,832	$10,822

Frequently Asked Questions about Wauchula Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Wauchula Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Wauchula Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Hardee Junior High School
High : Hardee Senior High School

What district is Wauchula Elementary School in?

Hardee

How many students attend Wauchula Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 577 students attended Wauchula Elementary School.

Is Wauchula Elementary School a good school?

Wauchula Elementary School ranks 1029^th of 2240 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Wauchula Elementary School?

Students at Wauchula Elementary School are 57% Hispanic, 30% White, 10% African American, 3% Two or more races.

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Latest Florida data All new data »

2025–26 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataMar 20, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2025

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.