Discovery Academy Of Lake Alfred

Discovery Academy Of Lake Alfred is a public middle school in Lake Alfred, FL, serving 1,039 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Polk district, and it has recently earned a 3-star rating, placing it in the 55th percentile statewide—a notable rebound from previous years.

This school stands out for its exceptional performance in advanced math courses. In the most recent school year, 90% of students were proficient in Algebra 1 and 83% in Geometry, far exceeding district and state averages. This is a key strength compared to nearby schools like Westwood Middle School and Denison Middle School, which struggle in these areas. However, the school's performance in standard 8th-grade math (47% proficiency) is below the state average, suggesting that while top math students are accelerated, other students may need additional support. In core subjects like English Language Arts, Discovery Academy consistently outperforms most of its neighbors, including Shelley S. Boone Middle School and Crystal Lake Middle School, which are in the bottom 15% of the state. Notably, the school achieves these results with the lowest spending per student ($8,375) among comparable schools, indicating efficient resource use.

A significant challenge is chronic absenteeism, with 36.8% of students chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year—higher than the state average but lower than many peers like Lake Alfred Polytech Academy (54.0%). Interestingly, Discovery Academy and Lake Alfred Polytech Academy are located just 0.17 miles apart on the same street and have similar poverty rates, yet Discovery outperforms Polytech in nearly every subject, suggesting that school leadership and culture play a crucial role. While Berkley Accelerated, a magnet school with a lower poverty rate, achieves higher overall rankings, Discovery Academy remains a strong choice for a traditional public school, especially for families seeking advanced math opportunities.