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Polk Avenue Elementary School

Q: Is Polk Avenue Elementary School a good school?

Polk Avenue Elementary School ranks 1682 nd of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades PK, KG-5

1682^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 26% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Polk Avenue Elementary School is a public charter elementary school serving 534 students in grades PK-5 in Lake Wales, Florida. The school is part of the Polk County School District, which is ranked 61 out of 67 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Polk Avenue Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Florida elementary schools over the past several years, with a ranking between 1,413 and 2,067 out of around 2,200 schools.

Polk Avenue Elementary faces significant challenges, including very high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 30.9% to 39.1% over the past few years, well above the state average. The school's test scores are consistently below the Polk County and Florida state averages across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 5th grade science proficiency rate was 43%, compared to 45% for Polk County and 55% for the state. Additionally, Polk Avenue Elementary has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 73.6% to 79.04% over the past few years, suggesting a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

When comparing Polk Avenue Elementary to nearby schools in the Polk County district, it becomes clear that the school is underperforming relative to its peers. For instance, Dundee Elementary Academy and Dale R. Fair Babson Park Elementary, both within 10 miles of Polk Avenue, have significantly higher test scores, lower chronic absenteeism rates, and higher SchoolDigger rankings. Addressing the underlying issues of chronic absenteeism and economic disadvantage at Polk Avenue Elementary could be key to improving student outcomes and the school's overall performance.

523

Students ?

17.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,857

Per pupil spending ?

99%

Free/discounted lunch ?

110 Polk Ave E
Lake Wales, FL 33853

(863) 678-4244

District: Polk

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.6%

White:

26.6%

African American:

21.4%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Polk Avenue Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 8th percentile in 2023 → 26th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 26th (2025) from a 8th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (46% vs 58% meeting standards)

!Math scores 15 pts below the Florida average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school46%

District avg49%

Florida avg58%

1,682^nd of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 26%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 32% (2016) to bottom 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

50^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	28.8	1682 of 2258	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.1	1766 of 2256	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.5	2067 of 2240	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.0	1913 of 2219	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.2	1488 of 2247	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.1	1614 of 2182	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.1	1578 of 2118	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	27.9	1554 of 2112	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	33.7	1413 of 2087	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	39.5	1267 of 2064	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	37.9	1280 of 2029	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	28.6	1479 of 1984	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	31.4	1467 of 1985	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	41.4	1205 of 1919	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	23.3	1513 of 1847	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	34.0	1262 of 1789	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	33.0	1256 of 1786	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	31.7	1194 of 1688	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts47%-9 vs state

Math46%-15 vs state

Science43%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Polk Avenue 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 Avenue Elementary School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	110 Polk Ave E	Lake Wales	33853	Polk County	Polk	Yes	No	No	Yes	(863) 678-4244	523	30	17.4	99.0%	139 (26.6%)	112 (21.4%)	254 (48.6%)	5 (1.0%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.9%)	28.8	1682^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	25.5%		25.1	1766^th of 2256 public elementary schools	21.7%	84	52.0	48.0	42.0	48.0	43.0	46.0	43.0	$8,857	$946	$7,911
Spook Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	321 Dr Ja Wiltshire Ave E	Lake Wales	33853	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 678-4262	574	34	16.8	83.4%	203 (35.4%)	145 (25.3%)	206 (35.9%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (2.8%)	14.2	2054^th of 2258 public elementary schools	9.0%		28	1683^rd of 2256 public elementary schools	25.4%	371	35.0	23.0	29.0	38.0	36.0	32.0	53.0	$11,877	$1,770	$10,106
Hillcrest Elementary School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	1051 State Road 60 E	Lake Wales	33853	Polk County	Polk	Yes	No	No	Yes	(863) 678-4216	667	41	16.2	69.1%	297 (44.5%)	133 (19.9%)	191 (28.6%)	6 (0.9%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (5.5%)	58.3	921^st of 2258 public elementary schools	59.2%		64.8	758^th of 2256 public elementary schools	66.4%	163	55.0	54.0	58.0	72.0	71.0	64.0	49.0	$8,238	$494	$7,744
Janie Howard Wilson School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	306 Florida Ave	Lake Wales	33853	Polk County	Polk	Yes	No	No	No	(863) 678-4211	462	29	15.9	78.1%	84 (18.2%)	177 (38.3%)	186 (40.3%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (1.9%)	22.8	1825^th of 2258 public elementary schools	19.2%		15.9	2008^th of 2256 public elementary schools	11.0%	183	45.0	33.0	45.0	52.0	40.0	54.0	19.0	$9,408	$898	$8,510
South Pointe Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9525 State Hwy 653	Winter Haven	33884	Polk County	Polk	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(863) 317-8317	689	32	21.5	68.8%	182 (26.4%)	172 (25.0%)	300 (43.5%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	29 (4.2%)	35.9	1474^th of 2258 public elementary schools	34.7%					(n/a)	61.0	41.0	43.0	63.0	55.0	36.0	42.0	$9,426	$1,159	$8,267
Dale R Fair Babson Park Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	815 Scenic Hwy N	Babson Park	33827	Polk County	Polk	Yes	No	No	Yes	(863) 678-4664	453	29	15.6	46.1%	319 (70.4%)	31 (6.8%)	93 (20.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.5%)	59.9	885^th of 2258 public elementary schools	60.8%		70.6	625^th of 2256 public elementary schools	72.3%	260	66.0	54.0	55.0	71.0	62.0	60.0	60.0	$8,677	$468	$8,209
Chain Of Lakes Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7001 State Highway 653	Winter Haven	33884	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 326-5388	1,007	56	17.9	55.6%	309 (30.7%)	221 (21.9%)	379 (37.6%)	56 (5.6%)	4 (0.4%)	3 (0.3%)	35 (3.5%)	50.7	1099^th of 2258 public elementary schools	51.3%		71.6	603^rd of 2256 public elementary schools	73.3%	496	55.0	69.0	55.0	58.0	61.0	48.0	49.0	$10,953	$1,557	$9,395
Alturas Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	420 4th St	Alturas	33820	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 519-3917	274	19	14.4	75.9%	179 (65.3%)	17 (6.2%)	67 (24.5%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	8 (2.9%)	56.6	957^th of 2258 public elementary schools	57.6%		58.2	894^th of 2256 public elementary schools	60.4%	63	63.0	59.0	42.0	61.0	66.0	58.0	68.0	$13,971	$1,795	$12,176
Garden Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4599 Cypress Gardens Rd	Winter Haven	33884	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 291-5396	652	31	21.0	74.4%	219 (33.6%)	189 (29.0%)	208 (31.9%)	7 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.3%)	32.7	1566^th of 2258 public elementary schools	30.6%		41.7	1300^th of 2256 public elementary schools	42.4%	266	36.0	39.0	62.0	28.0	35.0	75.0	57.0	$10,412	$1,399	$9,013
Wahneta Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	205 4th St E	Winter Haven	33880	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 291-5392	491	28	17.5	81.5%	46 (9.4%)	18 (3.7%)	422 (85.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	26.5	1741^st of 2258 public elementary schools	22.9%		27	1709^th of 2256 public elementary schools	24.2%	32	34.0	32.0	45.0	36.0	51.0	54.0	58.0	$11,455	$1,756	$9,698

Frequently Asked Questions about Polk Avenue Elementary School

What district is Polk Avenue Elementary School in?

Polk

Is Polk Avenue Elementary School a good school?

Polk Avenue Elementary School ranks 1682^nd of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Polk Avenue Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 523 students attended Polk Avenue Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Polk Avenue Elementary School?

Students at Polk Avenue Elementary School are 49% Hispanic, 27% White, 21% African American, 2% Two or more races.

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Schools in Lake Wales, 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.