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R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1805^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School in Lakeland, FL, is a public school serving 662 students in grades PK-5 within the Polk district, where 73.7% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. A standout feature is its strong 3rd-grade English Language Arts program, with 61% of students proficient—8 points above the district average and 1 point above the state average—outperforming nearby schools like North Lakeland Elementary School Of Choice (37%) and Socrum Elementary School (25%). However, the school faces a dramatic decline in 5th-grade math, where proficiency dropped to 16% in 2024-2025, a staggering 30 points below the district average, though it rebounded to 41% in 2025-2026.

Churchwell shows a unique "reverse" performance trend, with its strongest results in 3rd grade and significant drops in 4th and 5th grades—for example, 4th-grade ELA (43%) is 18 points lower than 3rd-grade ELA. This suggests challenges in sustaining academic growth as students progress. Interestingly, 5th-grade science is a bright spot, with 53% proficiency, 4 points above the district average, contrasting sharply with math struggles. Chronic absenteeism is a systemic crisis at 37.6%, but this is common across the area, with every nearby school exceeding 35%, including Griffin Elementary School (46.6%) and Kathleen Elementary School (47.1%), pointing to community-wide economic challenges.

Spending does not correlate with performance here: Churchwell spends $10,870 per student, while Socrum Elementary School spends the most ($14,810) but has low scores (25% 3rd-grade ELA), and Griffin Elementary School spends the least ($10,784) yet shows stronger math results. The nearest neighbor, Dr. NE Roberts Elementary School, serves similar demographics but has different strengths—Churchwell excels in 3rd-grade ELA (61% vs. 46%), while Dr. Roberts leads in 5th-grade ELA (56% vs. 42%), highlighting how school-level leadership and focus matter more than location alone.

662

Students ?

16.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,870

Per pupil spending ?

73.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8201 Park Byrd Rd
Lakeland, FL 33810

(863) 853-6011

District: Polk

Students who attend R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Kathleen Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

39.9%

White:

37.6%

African American:

16.6%

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Compare R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 28th percentile in 2016 → 19th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (47% vs 62% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (40% vs 29% Florida)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school47%

District avg53%

Florida avg62%

1,805^th of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 28% (2016) to bottom 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

53^rd 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	24.5	1805 of 2240	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.7	1854 of 2258	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.1	1707 of 2256	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.3	1708 of 2240	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.4	1337 of 2219	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.6	1377 of 2247	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.7	1064 of 2182	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.2	623 of 2118	70.6%	★★★★☆
2017	63.7	752 of 2112	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	30.4	1502 of 2087	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	36.9	1335 of 2064	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	49.1	1024 of 2029	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	41.5	1193 of 1984	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	40.4	1267 of 1985	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	38.0	1275 of 1919	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	23.2	1517 of 1847	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	35.4	1235 of 1789	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	40.4	1128 of 1786	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	30.8	1209 of 1688	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Science53%-7 vs state

English Language Arts49%-11 vs state

Math43%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near R. Clem Churchwell 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 (2025)	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
R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8201 Park Byrd Rd	Lakeland	33810	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 853-6011	662	41	16.1	73.7%	249 (37.6%)	110 (16.6%)	264 (39.9%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	35 (5.3%)	24.5	1805^th of 2240 public elementary schools	19.4%		21.7	1854^th of 2258 public elementary schools	17.9%	49	61.0	43.0	42.0	50.0	38.0	41.0	53.0	$10,870	$1,537	$9,334
Dr. NE Roberts Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6600 Green Rd	Lakeland	33810	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 815-6633	697	34	20.5	72.9%	280 (40.2%)	124 (17.8%)	269 (38.6%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	16 (2.3%)	27.5	1731^st of 2240 public elementary schools	22.7%		24.6	1791^st of 2258 public elementary schools	20.7%	60	46.0	49.0	56.0	54.0	45.0	42.0	53.0	$10,776	$1,622	$9,154
Socrum Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	9400 Old Dade City Rd	Lakeland	33810	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 853-6050	523	29	18.0	81.3%	252 (48.2%)	88 (16.8%)	162 (31.0%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.1%)	14.7	2045^th of 2240 public elementary schools	8.7%		29.1	1672^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	26.0%	373	25.0	44.0	44.0	38.0	47.0	51.0	38.0	$14,810	$1,704	$13,105
Kathleen Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3515 Sheretz Rd	Lakeland	33810	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 853-6030	453	29	15.6	78.8%	192 (42.4%)	89 (19.6%)	159 (35.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.4%)	24.6	1799^th of 2240 public elementary schools	19.7%		20.9	1876^th of 2258 public elementary schools	16.9%	77	41.0	40.0	57.0	36.0	27.0	57.0	64.0	$12,376	$1,886	$10,490
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
Sleepy Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2285 Sleepy Hill Rd	Lakeland	33810	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 815-6768	711	45	15.8	80.0%	180 (25.3%)	172 (24.2%)	317 (44.6%)	6 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (4.8%)	32.3	1612^th of 2240 public elementary schools	28.0%		24.7	1790^th of 2258 public elementary schools	20.7%	178	49.0	48.0	52.0	48.0	64.0	55.0	52.0	$11,576	$1,844	$9,732
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
Griffin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3315 Kathleen Rd	Lakeland	33810	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 853-6020	431	19	22.6	80.7%	80 (18.6%)	156 (36.2%)	168 (39.0%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.6%)	34	1560^th of 2240 public elementary schools	30.4%		21.4	1864^th of 2258 public elementary schools	17.4%	304	53.0	46.0	49.0	59.0	53.0	55.0	56.0	$10,784	$1,581	$9,202
Elementary - N Lakeland	Public	PK, KG-5	3315 Kathleen Road	Lakeland	33810	Polk County	Polk	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(863) 853-6020	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
North Lakeland Elementary School Of Choice	Public	PK, KG-5	410 Robson St W	Lakeland	33805	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 499-2850	658	38	17.3	77.5%	137 (20.8%)	187 (28.4%)	302 (45.9%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (4.3%)	11.6	2112^th of 2240 public elementary schools	5.7%		6.2	2204^th of 2258 public elementary schools	2.4%	92	37.0	28.0	36.0	52.0	46.0	27.0	40.0	$11,087	$1,972	$9,115

Frequently Asked Questions about R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School

What district is R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School in?

Polk

What schools do graduates of R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School attend?

Students who attend R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Kathleen Senior High School

How many students attend R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 662 students attended R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School.

Is R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School a good school?

R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School ranks in the bottom 19.4% of Florida elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School?

Students at R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School are 40% Hispanic, 38% White, 17% African American, 5% Two or more races.

Rate R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School!

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Latest Florida data All new data »

2024–25 attendance dataAug 18, 2026

2025–26 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataMar 20, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

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.