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R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School

Q: Is R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School a good school?

R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School ranks 1326 th of 2240 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1326^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 41% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School in Lakeland, FL, serves 899 students in grades PK through 5 and is part of the Polk school district, with about 65% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

This school stands out for its strong and consistent English Language Arts (ELA) performance, which is a bright spot compared to many nearby schools. For the 2025-2026 school year, 55% of 3rd graders, 61% of 4th graders, and 61% of 5th graders scored proficient in ELA—matching or exceeding state averages and outperforming nearby schools like Southwest Elementary School and Medulla Elementary School. Fourth-grade math is another area of excellence, with 64% proficiency, well above the district average of 56% and nearly matching the state. However, the school faces a significant challenge in 5th-grade science, where only 44% of students are proficient—well below the state average of 60% and the lowest among comparable local schools. Chronic absenteeism is a serious concern, with a rate of 37.8% in 2023-2024, nearly double that of nearby James W. Sikes Elementary School (25.7%) and higher than the state average of 31.4%.

Despite these challenges, R. Bruce Wagner shows a positive trajectory, with academic performance improving in recent years after a dip in the early 2020s. The school effectively builds on foundational skills as students progress, avoiding the common "3rd grade slump" seen elsewhere. Interestingly, it outperforms James W. Sikes Elementary in nearly every subject despite having a higher poverty rate and lower per-student spending, suggesting efficient use of resources. For parents, this school offers strong literacy and math instruction, but science and attendance are areas to watch closely.

899

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,450

Per pupil spending ?

65%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5500 Yates Rd
Lakeland, FL 33811

(863) 701-1450

District: Polk

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

47.8%

White:

34.7%

African American:

11.5%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 43rd percentile in 2016 → 41st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (57% vs 62% meeting standards)

!Science scores 16 pts below the Florida average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school57%

District avg53%

Florida avg62%

1,326^th of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 41%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

29^th 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	42.8	1326 of 2240	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.1	1040 of 2258	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.2	1109 of 2256	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.2	1435 of 2240	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.9	1445 of 2219	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.0	1235 of 2247	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.8	1323 of 2182	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.7	1351 of 2118	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	35.8	1361 of 2112	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	43.1	1190 of 2087	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	37.8	1310 of 2064	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	36.3	1322 of 2029	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	38.1	1258 of 1984	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	32.4	1427 of 1985	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	41.4	1204 of 1919	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	44.2	1097 of 1847	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	54.0	867 of 1789	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	44.4	1052 of 1786	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	36.2	1118 of 1688	33.8%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Math59%-5 vs state

English Language Arts59%~ state avg

Science44%-16 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, June 5, 2012

The administration and staff at R. Bruce Wagner Elementary keep high standards of educational excellence in mind for the children that attend it's school. I am a proud parent of my child whom attended R. Bruce Wagner for five years there. My child remained on the honor roll all five years and it is my belief that with parents involvement with teacher support that helps our children reach and fulfill their goal.

With the economic downfall and crash we as Americans had to endure since the war that started after September 11th; families have struggled due to the our governments neglect and greed do to money, oil, power, and position. Our children at R. Bruce Wagner and R. Bruce Wagner families stuck together through the hard times with minimal art supplies and school class supplies. The administration such as Principal Miss Julie Ward and her staff kept parents aware of the children's needs and of the government requirements of state testing and the changes that are requested in the year 2012. The silver star was awarded to R. Bruce Wagner and the school also awarded the A+ excellence award which they truly earned.

This school deserves a five star rating!

Congratulations R. Bruce Wagner

Sincerely,
Laura Podolski Close Quote

Schools Near R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School

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
R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5500 Yates Rd	Lakeland	33811	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 701-1450	899	58	15.5	65.0%	312 (34.7%)	103 (11.5%)	430 (47.8%)	18 (2.0%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (3.4%)	42.8	1326^th of 2240 public elementary schools	40.8%		53.1	1040^th of 2258 public elementary schools	53.9%	286	55.0	61.0	61.0	54.0	64.0	60.0	44.0	$11,450	$1,689	$9,760
James W. Sikes Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2727 Shepherd Rd	Lakeland	33811	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 648-3525	502	35	14.3	61.6%	230 (45.8%)	69 (13.7%)	176 (35.1%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.6%)	33.8	1566^th of 2240 public elementary schools	30.1%		50.7	1098^th of 2258 public elementary schools	51.4%	468	57.0	66.0	58.0	51.0	55.0	42.0	44.0	$12,290	$1,571	$10,720
Medulla Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	850 Schoolhouse Rd	Lakeland	33813	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 648-3515	488	29	16.8	73.0%	138 (28.3%)	119 (24.4%)	204 (41.8%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.5%)	27.8	1719^th of 2240 public elementary schools	23.3%		21.6	1857^th of 2258 public elementary schools	17.8%	138	43.0	48.0	54.0	49.0	57.0	51.0	48.0	$12,878	$2,001	$10,876
Willow Oak School	Public	PK, KG-5	4815 Bailey Road	Mulberry	33860	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 417-6670	996	63	15.8	79.0%	331 (33.2%)	58 (5.8%)	584 (58.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (2.1%)	35.5	1514^th of 2240 public elementary schools	32.4%		27.1	1723^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	23.7%	209	57.0	54.0	39.0	66.0	61.0	56.0	44.0	$10,696	$1,727	$8,968
Rcma Mulberry Community Academy	Public, Charter	K-2	4438 Academy Dr	Mulberry	33860	Polk County	Polk	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(863) 425-9246	107	7	15.2	70.1%	1 (0.9%)	3 (2.8%)	103 (96.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	23.0			62.0				$14,643	$271	$14,373
Springhead Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3208 Nesmith Rd	Plant City	33566	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	No	No	Yes	(813) 757-9321	750	50	15.0	69.2%	223 (29.7%)	44 (5.9%)	458 (61.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.2%)	54.1	1040^th of 2240 public elementary schools	53.6%		54.6	1003^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	55.6%	37	53.0	46.0	58.0	67.0	69.0	74.0	74.0	$11,655	$1,436	$10,219
Scott Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1140 County Road 540a E	Lakeland	33813	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 648-3520	735	47	15.6	55.0%	374 (50.9%)	112 (15.2%)	200 (27.2%)	20 (2.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	27 (3.7%)	56.7	966^th of 2240 public elementary schools	56.9%		57.7	930^th of 2258 public elementary schools	58.8%	36	58.0	72.0	65.0	57.0	71.0	66.0	55.0	$11,561	$1,488	$10,074
Carlton Palmore Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3725 Clevelnd Hts Blvd	Lakeland	33803	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 648-3510	402	26	15.4	66.7%	173 (43.0%)	89 (22.1%)	112 (27.9%)	5 (1.2%)	4 (1.0%)	3 (0.7%)	16 (4.0%)	34.7	1536^th of 2240 public elementary schools	31.4%		34.2	1520^th of 2258 public elementary schools	32.7%	16	55.0	68.0	44.0	59.0	55.0	44.0	31.0	$12,914	$1,902	$11,011
Southwest Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2650 Southwest Ave	Lakeland	33803	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 499-2830	376	31	12.1	77.7%	123 (32.7%)	79 (21.0%)	146 (38.8%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.6%)	34.4	1547^th of 2240 public elementary schools	30.9%		43.7	1255^th of 2258 public elementary schools	44.4%	292	52.0	54.0	52.0	42.0	47.0	59.0	62.0	$14,321	$2,064	$12,257
Cleveland Court Elementary School	Public	K-5	328 Edgewood Dr E	Lakeland	33803	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 499-2929	374	27	13.8	54.0%	153 (40.9%)	90 (24.1%)	109 (29.1%)	12 (3.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.4%)	82.6	320^th of 2240 public elementary schools	85.7%		76	495^th of 2258 public elementary schools	78.1%	175	71.0	86.0	75.0	74.0	78.0	83.0	75.0	$13,187	$1,655	$11,533

Frequently Asked Questions about R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School

How many students attend R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 899 students attended R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School?

Students at R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School are 48% Hispanic, 35% White, 11% African American, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School a good school?

R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School ranks 1326^th of 2240 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School in?

Polk

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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.