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Kathleen Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

1107^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,205 Florida Middle Schools

Better than 8% of Florida middle schools

Summary

Kathleen Middle School is a public middle school in Lakeland, Florida, serving 835 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Polk School District, which is ranked 61 out of 67 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Kathleen Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Florida middle schools over the past decade.

The school faces significant challenges, including very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 30.9% to 47.5% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the Polk district and state averages. Kathleen Middle School's test scores are also consistently below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates were 33% in 6th grade ELA, 26% in 7th grade ELA, and 29% in 8th grade ELA, compared to 60%, 57%, and 55% at the state level, respectively. Additionally, the school has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 67.84% to 77.49% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average.

Kathleen Middle School's performance is significantly lower than most of the nearby schools, including Berkley Accelerated, Lakeland Highlands Middle School, Lawton Chiles Middle Academy, and Lake Gibson Middle School, which have higher test scores, lower chronic absenteeism rates, and serve more economically advantaged student populations. Addressing the challenges facing Kathleen Middle School will require a comprehensive, data-driven approach that leverages the resources and expertise of the district, school, and community stakeholders.

742

Students ?

19.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,631

Per pupil spending ?

80.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3627 Kathleen Pnes
Lakeland, FL 33810

(863) 853-6040

District: Polk

Students who attend Kathleen Middle School usually attend:

High:

Kathleen Senior High School

Feeder schools for Kathleen Middle School:

Elementary:	Dr. NE Roberts Elementary School
	Kathleen Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

44.5%

White:

33.7%

African American:

18.3%

See top rated Florida middle schools

Compare Kathleen Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 19th percentile in 2014 → 8th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (30% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (48% vs 31% Florida)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school30%

District avg43%

Florida avg58%

1,107^th of 1,205

Florida public middle schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 17% (2016) to bottom 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

21^st of 24Middle 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	10.5	1107 of 1205	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.3	1061 of 1196	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.0	1040 of 1177	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.1	964 of 1148	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.6	978 of 1136	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.7	851 of 1099	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.2	828 of 1035	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	16.2	885 of 1031	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.3	826 of 997	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	21.3	812 of 999	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.0	691 of 956	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	21.3	721 of 897	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	28.9	666 of 891	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	27.8	634 of 839	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	32.8	559 of 780	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	29.9	550 of 740	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	28.4	549 of 736	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	31.8	482 of 675	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	28.5	464 of 602	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	28.6	452 of 593	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

Geometry90%+35 vs state

Civics71%~ state avg

Algebra 169%+9 vs state

English Language Arts29%-28 vs state

Math24%-32 vs state

Science23%-26 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a student
Saturday, November 5, 2016

I love my school it is amazing the teacher and staff are amazing when i was having a hard time my teachers were there for me when i was having trouble the staff was ther kathleen middle school is amazing. Close Quote

Schools Near Kathleen Middle 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)	EOC Algebra 1 (2025)	EOC Geometry (2025)	EOC Biology 1 (2025)	EOC US History (2025)	EOC Civics (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 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 9th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 10th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Biology 1 End of Course	EOC US History End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Kathleen Middle School	Public	6-8	3627 Kathleen Pnes	Lakeland	33810	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 853-6040	742	39	19.0	80.1%	250 (33.7%)	136 (18.3%)	330 (44.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	23 (3.1%)	10.5	1107^th of 1205 public middle schools	8.1%		14.3	1061^st of 1196 public middle schools	11.3%	46	33.0	26.0	29.0			29.0	21.0	23.0	23.0	69.0	90.0			71.0	$10,631	$1,594	$9,036
Sleepy Hill Middle School	Public	6-8	2215 Sleepy Hill Rd	Lakeland	33810	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 815-6577	886	43	20.6	76.6%	169 (19.1%)	219 (24.7%)	459 (51.8%)	17 (1.9%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.0%)	8.2	1123^rd of 1205 public middle schools	6.8%		14.8	1056^th of 1196 public middle schools	11.7%	67	33.0	24.0	24.0			22.0	17.0	21.0	20.0	54.0	89.0			76.0	$10,191	$1,465	$8,726
Lake Gibson Middle School	Public	6-8	6901 Socrum Loop Rd N	Lakeland	33809	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 853-6151	1,149	53	21.6	69.1%	485 (42.2%)	220 (19.1%)	387 (33.7%)	23 (2.0%)	6 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (2.4%)	18.2	1033^rd of 1205 public middle schools	14.3%		19.5	1004^th of 1196 public middle schools	16.1%	29	45.0	33.0	35.0			35.0	23.0	33.0	30.0	79.0	96.0			77.0	$9,148	$1,268	$7,880
Lawton Chiles Middle Academy	Public, Magnet	6-8	400 Florida Ave N	Lakeland	33801	Polk County	Polk	No	Yes	No	No	(863) 499-2742	704	34	20.7	43.8%	314 (44.6%)	156 (22.2%)	161 (22.9%)	48 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.6%)	70.3	328^th of 1205 public middle schools	72.8%		76.4	245^th of 1196 public middle schools	79.5%	83	73.0	73.0	76.0			67.0	34.0	56.0	63.0	89.0	92.0			100.0	$9,259	$878	$8,381
Southwest Middle School	Public	6-8	2815 Eden Pkwy	Lakeland	33803	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 499-2840	746	32	23.3	73.3%	218 (29.2%)	175 (23.5%)	317 (42.5%)	9 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	25 (3.4%)	20.4	997^th of 1205 public middle schools	17.3%		17.8	1028^th of 1196 public middle schools	14.0%	31	46.0	39.0	44.0			43.0	17.0	20.0	29.0	68.0	75.0			87.0	$9,973	$1,386	$8,587
Marshall Middle Magnet School	Public, Magnet	6-8	18 S Maryland Ave	Plant City	33563	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	Yes	No	Yes	(813) 757-9360	1,066	52	20.4	60.4%	263 (24.7%)	162 (15.2%)	581 (54.5%)	9 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (4.7%)	28.9	902^nd of 1205 public middle schools	25.1%		32.9	824^th of 1196 public middle schools	31.1%	78	50.0	44.0	40.0			32.0	24.0	55.0	32.0	78.0	89.0			47.0	$9,945	$1,592	$8,352
Crystal Lake Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	2410 Crystal Lake Dr N	Lakeland	33801	Polk County	Polk	No	Yes	No	Yes	(863) 499-2970	753	32	23.5	83.1%	213 (28.3%)	180 (23.9%)	310 (41.2%)	11 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.7%)	34 (4.5%)	8	1129^th of 1205 public middle schools	6.3%		14.5	1057^th of 1196 public middle schools	11.6%	72	27.0	32.0	26.0			23.0	16.0	14.0	18.0	56.0	53.0			72.0	$11,361	$1,695	$9,665
Tomlin Middle School	Public	6-8	501 N Woodrow Wilson St	Plant City	33563	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	No	No	Yes	(813) 757-9400	1,340	59	22.5	54.0%	433 (32.3%)	93 (6.9%)	750 (56.0%)	15 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	47 (3.5%)	32.7	850^th of 1205 public middle schools	29.5%		31.5	847^th of 1196 public middle schools	29.2%	3	48.0	44.0	40.0			43.0	25.0	51.0	45.0	74.0	100.0			51.0	$8,715	$1,112	$7,603
Lakeland Highlands Middle School	Public	6-8	740 Lake Miriam Dr	Lakeland	33813	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	No	(863) 648-3500	1,118	61	18.3	52.4%	543 (48.6%)	170 (15.2%)	331 (29.6%)	39 (3.5%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	32 (2.9%)	48.6	611^th of 1205 public middle schools	49.3%		50.5	583^rd of 1196 public middle schools	51.3%	28	59.0	57.0	60.0			51.0	37.0	36.0	54.0	78.0	93.0			95.0	$9,544	$1,172	$8,372
Berkley Accelerated	Public, Charter	6-10	5316 Berkley Rd	Auburndale	33823	Polk County	Polk	Yes	No	No	No	(863) 984-2400	622	31	20.0	30.7%	421 (67.7%)	30 (4.8%)	145 (23.3%)	9 (1.4%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.3%)	73.2	290^th of 1205 public middle schools	75.9%		76.9	240^th of 1196 public middle schools	79.9%	50	81.0	70.0	66.0	80.0	78.0	90.0	73.0	24.0	36.0	91.0	53.0	88.0	85.0	85.0	$7,956	$318	$7,638

Frequently Asked Questions about Kathleen Middle School

What district is Kathleen Middle School in?

Polk

How many students attend Kathleen Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 742 students attended Kathleen Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Kathleen Middle School?

Students at Kathleen Middle School are 44% Hispanic, 34% White, 18% African American, 3% Two or more races.

Is Kathleen Middle School a good school?

Kathleen Middle School ranks in the bottom 8.1% of Florida middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Kathleen Middle School attend?

Students who attend Kathleen Middle School usually go on to attend Kathleen Senior High School

Rate Kathleen Middle School!

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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.