Loughman Oaks Elementary School

Loughman Oaks Elementary School in Davenport, FL, is a large school serving 1,179 students in grades PK through 5, and it is part of the Polk district, which faces significant systemic challenges.

The most critical issue at Loughman Oaks is a severe chronic absenteeism crisis. In the 2023-2024 school year, 56% of students were chronically absent—nearly double the state average and the highest rate among all nearby schools. This is a steep increase from 23% before the pandemic, and it is likely the primary driver of the school's low academic performance. Test scores in English Language Arts and Math consistently fall below both district and state averages in every grade level, and unlike some neighboring schools, Loughman Oaks does not have a single subject where it meets or exceeds the district average. For example, just over a mile away, Davenport School Of The Arts is a 4-star school with a 16.6% absenteeism rate and proficiency rates 20-30 points higher in every subject. The student-to-teacher ratio has also risen sharply to 20.6, the highest among nearby schools, suggesting larger class sizes and potential resource strain.

Despite these challenges, there is a glimmer of hope: in the 2024-2025 school year, 4th-grade math proficiency reached 53%, matching the district average, which suggests a specific teacher or strategy may have been effective. However, this success was not sustained into the following year. The school spends $9,327 per student, which is comparable to other schools in the area, indicating that the issue is not a lack of funding but rather how resources are used in the face of the absenteeism crisis. For parents considering this school, the top priority for leadership must be a multi-faceted intervention to improve attendance, as without solving this foundational problem, academic recovery will be difficult.