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Medulla Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1719^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 23% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Medulla Elementary School is a PK-5 public school in Lakeland, FL, serving 488 students within the Polk School District, where a very high percentage of families (over 72%) qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school’s most critical challenge is its exceptionally high chronic absenteeism rate of 41.2%, which is far worse than nearby schools like Valleyview Elementary School (25.6%) and Highlands Grove Elementary School (28.9%). This persistent absenteeism—hovering around 41% for three consecutive years—is the primary driver of the school’s low academic performance and its 1-star state rating, placing it in the bottom 23rd percentile of Florida elementary schools.

Despite spending more per student ($12,878) than many higher-performing peers, Medulla’s test scores consistently fall below district and state averages. For example, only 43% of 3rd graders were proficient in English Language Arts compared to 60% statewide. However, there is a bright spot: 5th-grade science scores are nearly on par with the district (48% vs. 49%), and in 2022-2023, Medulla actually outperformed both the district and state in this subject. This suggests a specific instructional strength that could be replicated in other grades. The school’s struggles are not simply a matter of poverty, as Willow Oak School, with an even higher poverty rate (79%), has a much lower chronic absenteeism rate (25.6%).

Perhaps the most telling comparison is with Scott Lake Elementary School, located just 1.79 miles away. Scott Lake serves a similar student population but boasts a 3-star rating, a 31.8% chronic absenteeism rate, and significantly higher proficiency rates (e.g., 72% vs. 48% in 4th-grade ELA). This stark contrast highlights that Medulla’s challenges are likely tied to specific school-level issues with attendance and family engagement, not just its location. For parents, the key takeaway is that Medulla’s primary barrier to success is getting students to school consistently, and until that changes, academic improvement will remain an uphill battle.

488

Students ?

16.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,878

Per pupil spending ?

73%

Free/discounted lunch ?

850 Schoolhouse Rd
Lakeland, FL 33813

(863) 648-3515

District: Polk

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

41.8%

White:

28.3%

African American:

24.4%

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Compare Medulla Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 38th percentile in 2016 → 23rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (50% vs 62% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (38% vs 29% Florida)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school50%

District avg53%

Florida avg62%

1,719^th of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 23%▼ down 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 38% (2016) to bottom 23% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

48^th of 86Elementary Schools in the Polk

61^st of 70Polk 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	27.8	1719 of 2240	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.6	1857 of 2258	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.3	1584 of 2256	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.0	1585 of 2240	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.2	1313 of 2219	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.2	1389 of 2247	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.6	1159 of 2182	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.9	1346 of 2118	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	47.4	1117 of 2112	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	38.8	1297 of 2087	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	34.2	1407 of 2064	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	35.5	1345 of 2029	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	46.2	1081 of 1984	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	35.1	1365 of 1985	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	39.1	1253 of 1919	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	31.7	1367 of 1847	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	39.9	1138 of 1789	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	31.8	1275 of 1786	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	29.4	1228 of 1688	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Math52%-12 vs state

English Language Arts48%-12 vs state

Science48%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Medulla 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
Medulla Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	850 Schoolhouse Rd	Lakeland	33813	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 648-3515	488	29	16.8	73.0%	138 (28.3%)	119 (24.4%)	204 (41.8%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.5%)	27.8	1719^th of 2240 public elementary schools	23.3%		21.6	1857^th of 2258 public elementary schools	17.8%	138	43.0	48.0	54.0	49.0	57.0	51.0	48.0	$12,878	$2,001	$10,876
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%)	56.7	966^th of 2240 public elementary schools	56.9%		57.7	930^th of 2258 public elementary schools	58.8%	36	58.0	72.0	65.0	57.0	71.0	66.0	55.0	$11,561	$1,488	$10,074
Carlton Palmore Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3725 Clevelnd Hts Blvd	Lakeland	33803	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 648-3510	402	26	15.4	66.7%	173 (43.0%)	89 (22.1%)	112 (27.9%)	5 (1.2%)	4 (1.0%)	3 (0.7%)	16 (4.0%)	34.7	1536^th of 2240 public elementary schools	31.4%		34.2	1520^th of 2258 public elementary schools	32.7%	16	55.0	68.0	44.0	59.0	55.0	44.0	31.0	$12,914	$1,902	$11,011
R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5500 Yates Rd	Lakeland	33811	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 701-1450	899	58	15.5	65.0%	312 (34.7%)	103 (11.5%)	430 (47.8%)	18 (2.0%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (3.4%)	42.8	1326^th of 2240 public elementary schools	40.8%		53.1	1040^th of 2258 public elementary schools	53.9%	286	55.0	61.0	61.0	54.0	64.0	60.0	44.0	$11,450	$1,689	$9,760
James W. Sikes Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2727 Shepherd Rd	Lakeland	33811	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 648-3525	502	35	14.3	61.6%	230 (45.8%)	69 (13.7%)	176 (35.1%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.6%)	33.8	1566^th of 2240 public elementary schools	30.1%		50.7	1098^th of 2258 public elementary schools	51.4%	468	57.0	66.0	58.0	51.0	55.0	42.0	44.0	$12,290	$1,571	$10,720
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%)	65.7	734^th of 2240 public elementary schools	67.2%		70.2	636^th of 2258 public elementary schools	71.8%	98	81.0	58.0	68.0	76.0	50.0	73.0	70.0	$12,216	$1,547	$10,670
Cleveland Court Elementary School	Public	K-5	328 Edgewood Dr E	Lakeland	33803	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 499-2929	374	27	13.8	54.0%	153 (40.9%)	90 (24.1%)	109 (29.1%)	12 (3.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.4%)	82.6	320^th of 2240 public elementary schools	85.7%		76	495^th of 2258 public elementary schools	78.1%	175	71.0	86.0	75.0	74.0	78.0	83.0	75.0	$13,187	$1,655	$11,533
Southwest Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2650 Southwest Ave	Lakeland	33803	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 499-2830	376	31	12.1	77.7%	123 (32.7%)	79 (21.0%)	146 (38.8%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.6%)	34.4	1547^th of 2240 public elementary schools	30.9%		43.7	1255^th of 2258 public elementary schools	44.4%	292	52.0	54.0	52.0	42.0	47.0	59.0	62.0	$14,321	$2,064	$12,257
Willow Oak School	Public	PK, KG-5	4815 Bailey Road	Mulberry	33860	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 417-6670	996	63	15.8	79.0%	331 (33.2%)	58 (5.8%)	584 (58.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (2.1%)	35.5	1514^th of 2240 public elementary schools	32.4%		27.1	1723^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	23.7%	209	57.0	54.0	39.0	66.0	61.0	56.0	44.0	$10,696	$1,727	$8,968
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%)	74.7	511^th of 2240 public elementary schools	77.2%		79.4	416^th of 2258 public elementary schools	81.6%	95	73.0	71.0	69.0	73.0	70.0	82.0	69.0	$11,059	$1,070	$9,989

Frequently Asked Questions about Medulla Elementary School

What district is Medulla Elementary School in?

Polk

How many students attend Medulla Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 488 students attended Medulla Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Medulla Elementary School?

Students at Medulla Elementary School are 42% Hispanic, 28% White, 24% African American, 5% Two or more races.

Is Medulla Elementary School a good school?

Medulla Elementary School ranks in the bottom 23.3% of Florida elementary schools.

Rate Medulla Elementary School!

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Latest Florida data All new data »

2024–25 attendance dataNewAug 18, 2026

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

2024–25 school spending dataMar 20, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

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.