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Polk City Elementary School

Q: Is Polk City Elementary School a good school?

Polk City Elementary School ranks 1577 th of 2240 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1577^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Polk City Elementary School is a public school in Polk City, FL, serving 545 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Polk district, where the majority of students (73.58%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting significant socioeconomic challenges.

Academically, Polk City Elementary shows a notable strength in 3rd grade, with 66% proficiency in ELA and 67% in math—both above state averages—but this success does not carry through to later grades. Proficiency drops sharply in 4th and 5th grade, with 5th-grade math falling to 40% in the 2025-2026 school year. This pattern suggests a strong early foundation but difficulty transitioning to more complex concepts. The school also struggles with chronic absenteeism, which was 36.0% in 2023-2024, higher than the state average of 31.4%. In contrast, nearby Berkley Elementary School, just 2.85 miles away, scores in the 89th percentile with a free/reduced lunch rate of only 35.78%, highlighting a stark performance gap linked to community wealth.

Despite spending $10,266 per student—more than Berkley Elementary ($9,334) and similar schools like Lake Alfred Elementary School ($9,528)—Polk City Elementary’s overall ranking remains low, at the 30th percentile in 2025-2026. The school’s performance is volatile, with 5th-grade science fluctuating from 54% proficiency in 2023-2024 to 28% in 2024-2025, then recovering to 42% in 2025-2026. This inconsistency suggests that outcomes may depend heavily on specific cohorts or teachers rather than a stable school-wide program. The core challenge is effectively deploying resources to address non-academic barriers to learning, such as absenteeism and poverty, rather than a lack of funding.

545

Students ?

18.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,266

Per pupil spending ?

73.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

125 Bougainvillea Ave S
Polk City, FL 33868

(863) 965-6338

District: Polk

Students who attend Polk City Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Jere L. Stambaugh Middle
High:	Tenoroc High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.2%

Hispanic:

28.1%

African American:

4.4%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 16th percentile in 2023 → 30th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 30th (2026) from a 16th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (52% vs 62% meeting standards)

!Science scores 18 pts below the Florida average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school52%

District avg53%

Florida avg62%

1,577^th of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 38% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

41^st 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	33.2	1577 of 2240	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.6	1890 of 2258	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.2	1511 of 2256	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.3	1890 of 2240	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.2	1758 of 2219	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.6	1453 of 2247	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.3	1587 of 2182	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.1	1469 of 2118	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.9	1327 of 2112	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	39.0	1287 of 2087	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	37.1	1329 of 2064	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	32.3	1425 of 2029	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	38.9	1236 of 1984	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	43.6	1190 of 1985	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.0	1195 of 1919	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	41.1	1176 of 1847	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	38.3	1175 of 1789	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	38.2	1169 of 1786	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	34.8	1144 of 1688	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Math54%-10 vs state

English Language Arts53%-7 vs state

Science42%-18 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Principle is bad at her job and treats parents like trash. Rude and unprofessional. Replace her Close Quote

Schools Near Polk City 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
Polk City Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	125 Bougainvillea Ave S	Polk City	33868	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 965-6338	545	30	18.1	73.6%	350 (64.2%)	24 (4.4%)	153 (28.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (2.9%)	33.2	1577^th of 2240 public elementary schools	29.6%		20.6	1890^th of 2258 public elementary schools	16.3%	313	66.0	45.0	51.0	67.0	54.0	40.0	42.0	$10,266	$1,219	$9,046
Berkley Elementary School	Public, Charter	K-5	5240 Berkley Rd	Auburndale	33823	Polk County	Polk	Yes	No	No	No	(863) 968-5024	696	39	17.8	35.8%	454 (65.2%)	31 (4.5%)	179 (25.7%)	14 (2.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.4%)	85.8	238^th of 2240 public elementary schools	89.4%		88.9	201^st of 2258 public elementary schools	91.1%	37	83.0	74.0	73.0	94.0	79.0	81.0	75.0	$9,334	$597	$8,736
Wendell Watson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6800 Walt Williams Rd	Lakeland	33809	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 853-6060	764	45	16.9	58.6%	360 (47.1%)	110 (14.4%)	253 (33.1%)	5 (0.7%)	9 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.5%)	19.2	1949^th of 2240 public elementary schools	13.0%		28.9	1677^th of 2258 public elementary schools	25.7%	272	52.0	47.0	46.0	46.0	46.0	41.0	35.0	$10,869	$1,365	$9,504
Lena Vista Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	925 Berkley Rd	Auburndale	33823	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 965-5464	915	45	20.3	72.5%	308 (33.7%)	200 (21.9%)	379 (41.4%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (2.4%)	13	2082^nd of 2240 public elementary schools	7.1%		13.4	2075^th of 2258 public elementary schools	8.1%	7	48.0	39.0	35.0	33.0	44.0	30.0	45.0	$9,583	$1,516	$8,067
Walter Caldwell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	141 Dairy Rd	Auburndale	33823	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 965-5470	887	54	16.4	72.7%	243 (27.4%)	266 (30.0%)	334 (37.7%)	9 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	34 (3.8%)	36	1499^th of 2240 public elementary schools	33.1%		36.9	1454^th of 2258 public elementary schools	35.6%	45	46.0	48.0	58.0	52.0	58.0	60.0	59.0	$11,031	$1,619	$9,412
Auburndale Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	320 Lemon St	Auburndale	33823	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 965-5450	371	17	21.8	74.9%	117 (31.5%)	85 (22.9%)	140 (37.7%)	8 (2.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.1%)	19.5	1946^th of 2240 public elementary schools	13.1%		19.8	1913^th of 2258 public elementary schools	15.3%	33	41.0	52.0	55.0	45.0	35.0	40.0	41.0	$12,190	$1,659	$10,531
Lake Alfred Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	550 Cummings St E	Lake Alfred	33850	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 295-5985	1,059	56	18.9	65.0%	198 (18.7%)	301 (28.4%)	504 (47.6%)	13 (1.2%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (3.8%)	23.1	1845^th of 2240 public elementary schools	17.6%		30.4	1632^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	27.7%	213	43.0	50.0	44.0	57.0	50.0	41.0	47.0	$9,528	$1,341	$8,185
Hartridge Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	1400 Us Highway 92 W	Winter Haven	33881	Polk County	Polk	Yes	No	No	No	(863) 956-4434	200	11	18.1	54.5%	97 (48.5%)	22 (11.0%)	69 (34.5%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.5%)	64.6	766^th of 2240 public elementary schools	65.8%		82	368^th of 2258 public elementary schools	83.7%	398	61.0	55.0	57.0	94.0	80.0	60.0	64.0	$11,330	$475	$10,855
Edgar L. Padgett Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	110 Leelon Rd	Lakeland	33809	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 853-6044	531	32	16.5	71.4%	196 (36.9%)	136 (25.6%)	168 (31.6%)	9 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.0%)	42.4	1337^th of 2240 public elementary schools	40.3%		28.9	1678^th of 2258 public elementary schools	25.7%	341	57.0	42.0	51.0	63.0	59.0	67.0	60.0	$11,696	$1,889	$9,806
Combee Academy Of Design And Engineering	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2805 Morgan Combee Rd	Lakeland	33801	Polk County	Polk	No	Yes	No	Yes	(863) 499-2960	479	36	13.3	76.2%	218 (45.5%)	72 (15.0%)	166 (34.7%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.8%)	66.7	712^th of 2240 public elementary schools	68.2%		53.7	1022^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	54.7%	310	69.0	68.0	62.0	76.0	71.0	69.0	60.0	$13,559	$1,927	$11,631

Frequently Asked Questions about Polk City Elementary School

Is Polk City Elementary School a good school?

Polk City Elementary School ranks 1577^th of 2240 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Polk City Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Polk City Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Jere L. Stambaugh Middle
High : Tenoroc High School

What district is Polk City Elementary School in?

Polk

What is the racial makeup of Polk City Elementary School?

Students at Polk City Elementary School are 64% White, 28% Hispanic, 4% African American, 3% Two or more races.

How many students attend Polk City Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 545 students attended Polk City Elementary School.

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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.