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Janie Howard Wilson School

Public, Charter Grades PK, KG-5

1825^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Janie Howard Wilson School is an elementary school in Lake Wales, Florida, serving 430 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Polk District, which is ranked 61 out of 67 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Janie Howard Wilson School has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Florida elementary schools over the past decade.

The school faces significant challenges, with very high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 30.9% to 42.6% in recent years, well above the Polk District and state averages. Janie Howard Wilson School's test scores are also consistently below district and state averages across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 5th grade science proficiency rate was just 19%, compared to 45% for the Polk District and 55% for the state. Additionally, the school has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 74.19% to 81.75% in recent years.

Compared to nearby schools like Dundee Elementary Academy, Alturas Elementary, and Dale R Fair Babson Park Elementary, Janie Howard Wilson School is underperforming, with these nearby schools generally having higher test scores, lower chronic absenteeism rates, and lower percentages of economically disadvantaged students. The school's relatively high spending per student, ranging from $7,385 to $9,230 in recent years, suggests that additional resources are being directed to the school, but the outcomes do not yet reflect significant improvements.

462

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,408

Per pupil spending ?

78.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

306 Florida Ave
Lake Wales, FL 33853

(863) 678-4211

District: Polk

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

40.3%

African American:

38.3%

White:

18.2%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Janie Howard Wilson School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 14th percentile in 2014 → 19th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

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

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (43% vs 31% Florida)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg49%

Florida avg58%

1,825^th of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

60^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	22.8	1825 of 2258	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.9	2008 of 2256	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.2	1823 of 2240	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	1993 of 2219	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.4	1509 of 2247	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.6	1672 of 2182	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.1	1542 of 2118	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	18.4	1829 of 2112	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	22.9	1664 of 2087	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	18.7	1782 of 2064	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	17.9	1778 of 2029	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	31.7	1400 of 1984	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	38.0	1303 of 1985	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	30.3	1431 of 1919	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	47.5	1042 of 1847	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	40.3	1133 of 1789	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	31.3	1287 of 1786	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	21.2	1388 of 1688	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

Math49%-12 vs state

English Language Arts41%-15 vs state

Science19%-36 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, October 12, 2020

Janie Howard Wilson Elementary prepares students for the next grade level. I know my kids are going to a school where they are more than a number. I would recommend this school to anyone! Close Quote

Schools Near Janie Howard Wilson 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Dundee Elementary Academy	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	215 Frederick Ave	Dundee	33838	Polk County	Polk	No	Yes	No	Yes	(863) 421-3316	657	41	16.0	63.8%	197 (30.0%)	111 (16.9%)	324 (49.3%)	7 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	16 (2.4%)	61.2	853^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	62.2%		76.1	500^th of 2256 public elementary schools	77.8%	353	58.0	58.0	58.0	64.0	63.0	70.0	61.0	$10,904	$1,372	$9,533
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Janie Howard Wilson School

Is Janie Howard Wilson School a good school?

Janie Howard Wilson School ranks in the bottom 19.2% of Florida elementary schools.

How many students attend Janie Howard Wilson School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 462 students attended Janie Howard Wilson School.

What district is Janie Howard Wilson School in?

Polk

What is the racial makeup of Janie Howard Wilson School?

Students at Janie Howard Wilson School are 40% Hispanic, 38% African American, 18% White, 2% Two or more races.

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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.