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Socrum Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

2045^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 9% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Socrum Elementary School in Lakeland, FL, is a public school serving 523 students in grades PK through 5, and it is part of the Polk district, which faces significant challenges statewide.

The school is currently in a state of crisis, marked by extreme chronic absenteeism—46.4% in the 2023-2024 school year—which is a primary driver of its low academic performance. For example, only 25% of 3rd graders were proficient in English Language Arts, compared to 53% in the district and 60% statewide. This is a stark contrast to nearby R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School, which has a similar percentage of low-income students but a much lower absenteeism rate (37.6%) and significantly better 3rd-grade ELA scores (61%). Despite spending $14,810 per student—the highest among all nearby schools, including Griffin Elementary School ($10,784) and North Lakeland Elementary School Of Choice ($11,087)—Socrum’s outcomes are worse, suggesting a need to investigate how funds are used.

There is a glimmer of hope: 62% of 5th graders were proficient in math in the 2024-2025 school year, outperforming the district (46%) and state (57%) averages. This success could be replicated in other areas. However, the school’s ranking has declined from the 36th percentile in 2018-2019 to the 9th percentile for 2025-2026, a steeper drop than most peers. The most pressing issue is getting students into the classroom consistently, as attendance is the foundation for learning.

523

Students ?

18.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,810

Per pupil spending ?

81.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9400 Old Dade City Rd
Lakeland, FL 33810

(863) 853-6050

District: Polk

Students who attend Socrum Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Lake Gibson Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

48.2%

Hispanic:

31.0%

African American:

16.8%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Socrum Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 9th percentile in 2016 → 9th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (40% vs 62% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (46% vs 31% Florida)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg53%

Florida avg62%

2,045^th of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 9%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

73^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	14.7	2045 of 2240	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	29.1	1672 of 2258	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.6	1634 of 2256	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.6	1695 of 2240	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.8	1954 of 2219	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.6	1529 of 2247	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.0	1389 of 2182	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.3	1511 of 2118	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	23.8	1675 of 2112	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	13.1	1907 of 2087	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	24.1	1648 of 2064	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	33.0	1404 of 2029	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	45.5	1103 of 1984	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	32.1	1439 of 1985	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	40.5	1228 of 1919	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	40.2	1197 of 1847	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	49.6	948 of 1789	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	46.9	1002 of 1786	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	21.5	1383 of 1688	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Math45%-19 vs state

Science38%-22 vs state

English Language Arts37%-23 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Thursday, August 17, 2017

This school is steadily climbing the ladder of success. I am proud of the hard work the students, teachers, administration, and support staff have put in to improve Socrum. The year is looking bright! Close Quote

Schools Near Socrum 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	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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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 Socrum Elementary School

What district is Socrum Elementary School in?

Polk

What is the racial makeup of Socrum Elementary School?

Students at Socrum Elementary School are 48% White, 31% Hispanic, 17% African American, 3% Two or more races.

Is Socrum Elementary School a good school?

Socrum Elementary School ranks in the bottom 8.7% of Florida elementary schools.

How many students attend Socrum Elementary School?

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

What schools do graduates of Socrum Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Socrum Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Lake Gibson Senior High School

Rate Socrum Elementary School!

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Latest Florida data All new data »

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

2024–25 school spending dataMar 20, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2025

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.