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Polk City Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1890^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Polk City Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 539 students in grades PK-5 in Polk City, Florida, which is part of the Polk School District. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Florida elementary schools over the past decade, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Polk City Elementary faces several key challenges, including very high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 30.9% to 39.1% in recent years, significantly lagging test scores compared to the Polk County and Florida state averages, and a high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 58.09% to 71.43%. While the school spends between $9,343 and $11,099 per student, which is higher than the Polk County average, these additional resources do not appear to be translating into improved academic outcomes.

When comparing Polk City Elementary to other nearby schools in the Polk County district, it consistently underperforms on key metrics. For example, Berkley Elementary, a public charter school just 2.85 miles away, has significantly higher proficiency rates and a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The low performance of Polk City Elementary presents opportunities for the district and school to implement targeted interventions and strategies to address the root causes of the school's challenges and provide a better educational experience for its students.

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%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Polk City Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 36th percentile in 2014 → 16th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (41% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg49%

Florida avg58%

1,890^th of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 22 pts since 2016

From bottom 38% (2016) to bottom 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

65^th of 86Elementary Schools in the Polk

61^st of 67Polk 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
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 (2024-2025) ?

Math45%-15 vs state

English Language Arts41%-16 vs state

Science28%-27 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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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

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)	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 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%)	20.6	1890^th of 2258 public elementary schools	16.3%		34.2	1511^th of 2256 public elementary schools	33.0%	379	49.0	37.0	32.0	51.0	45.0	38.0	28.0	$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%)	88.9	201^st of 2258 public elementary schools	91.1%		86.3	273^rd of 2256 public elementary schools	87.9%	72	87.0	73.0	70.0	93.0	86.0	78.0	71.0	$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%)	28.9	1677^th of 2258 public elementary schools	25.7%		40.5	1331^st of 2256 public elementary schools	41.0%	346	41.0	50.0	48.0	49.0	51.0	40.0	44.0	$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%)	13.4	2075^th of 2258 public elementary schools	8.1%		17.8	1963^rd of 2256 public elementary schools	13.0%	112	38.0	38.0	34.0	29.0	51.0	29.0	31.0	$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%)	36.9	1454^th of 2258 public elementary schools	35.6%		41.8	1298^th of 2256 public elementary schools	42.5%	156	50.0	44.0	44.0	57.0	60.0	43.0	53.0	$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%)	19.8	1913^th of 2258 public elementary schools	15.3%		27.8	1690^th of 2256 public elementary schools	25.1%	223	44.0	34.0	48.0	37.0	30.0	29.0	50.0	$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%)	30.4	1632^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	27.7%		38.8	1374^th of 2256 public elementary schools	39.1%	258	50.0	40.0	42.0	60.0	46.0	44.0	45.0	$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%)	82	368^th of 2258 public elementary schools	83.7%		67.8	686^th of 2256 public elementary schools	69.6%	318	76.0	56.0	70.0	86.0	74.0	85.0	65.0	$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%)	28.9	1678^th of 2258 public elementary schools	25.7%		32.9	1538^th of 2256 public elementary schools	31.8%	140	43.0	42.0	40.0	53.0	61.0	38.0	46.0	$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%)	53.7	1022^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	54.7%		50.2	1088^th of 2256 public elementary schools	51.8%	66	64.0	62.0	60.0	64.0	59.0	45.0	51.0	$13,559	$1,927	$11,631

Frequently Asked Questions about Polk City Elementary School

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

Is Polk City Elementary School a good school?

Polk City Elementary School ranks in the bottom 16.3% of Florida elementary schools.

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.

Rate Polk City Elementary School!

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Schools in Polk City, 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.