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Compass Middle Charter School

Public, Charter Grades 5-8

1150^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,216 Florida Middle Schools

Better than 5% of Florida middle schools

Summary

Compass Middle Charter School in Bartow, FL, is a small public charter school serving 168 students in grades 5 through 8 within the Polk school district, and it faces significant challenges that set it apart from nearby schools.

The most critical issue at Compass Middle is its extremely high chronic absenteeism rate, which reached 66.7% in the 2023-2024 school year—more than double the rate of the next highest nearby school, Crystal Lake Middle School (49.8%), and over four times the state average. This attendance crisis is likely the primary driver of the school's persistently low academic performance, which has ranked in the bottom 5-8% of Florida middle schools for nearly a decade. For example, in 2025-2026, only 4% of 6th graders and 5% of 8th graders were proficient in math, compared to district averages of 48% and 43%, respectively. Interestingly, Compass Middle shares an address with Bartow Middle School, which significantly outperforms it despite serving the same community—Bartow Middle achieved 47% proficiency in 6th-grade ELA versus Compass's 21%. This stark contrast suggests the school's struggles are tied to its specific environment and culture rather than just neighborhood demographics.

Despite these challenges, there is a relative bright spot in Civics, where 40% of students were proficient in 2025-2026, though this remains well below the district (86%) and state (77%) averages. The school also has the highest concentration of economic disadvantage among its peers, with 86.9% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to just 48.95% at the higher-performing Union Academy (75th percentile). Compass Middle spends $8,325 per student, which is lower than most nearby schools, indicating that the core problem is not funding but rather how resources are used to address overwhelming non-academic barriers like attendance. For parents considering this school, the data points to a need for intensive family engagement and support services to help students attend regularly and succeed academically.

168

Students ?

18.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,325

Per pupil spending ?

86.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

550 Clower St E
Bartow, FL 33830

(863) 519-8701

District: Polk

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

43.5%

White:

28.0%

African American:

26.8%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 8th percentile in 2016 → 5th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (22% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (67% vs 31% Florida)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school22%

District avg50%

Florida avg61%

1,150^th of 1,216

Florida public middle schools ?

Bottom 5%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

25^th of 25Middle 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	4.1	1150 of 1216	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.7	1161 of 1205	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.5	1144 of 1196	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.0	1156 of 1177	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.3	1094 of 1148	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.2	1066 of 1136	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.3	1029 of 1099	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.2	999 of 1035	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	7.6	965 of 1031	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	9.4	919 of 997	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	2.9	955 of 999	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	8.4	864 of 956	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	11.6	785 of 897	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	14.8	757 of 891	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	7.5	758 of 839	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	5.9	715 of 780	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	3.8	701 of 740	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	4.1	695 of 736	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	9.0	601 of 675	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	5.7	569 of 602	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	6.0	555 of 593	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Civics40%-37 vs state

English Language Arts28%-33 vs state

Math15%-45 vs state

Science12%-44 vs state

★

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Schools Near Compass Middle Charter 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)		EOC Algebra 1 (2026)	EOC Geometry (2026)	EOC Civics (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 5th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Compass Middle Charter School	Public, Charter	5-8	550 Clower St E	Bartow	33830	Polk County	Polk	Yes	No	No	Yes	(863) 519-8701	168	9	18.6	86.9%	47 (28.0%)	45 (26.8%)	73 (43.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.8%)	4.1	1150^th of 1216 public middle schools	5.4%		3.7	1161^st of 1205 public middle schools	3.7%	11	36.0	21.0	33.0	23.0	28.0	4.0	23.0	5.0	14.0	9.0			40.0	$8,325	$1,559	$6,766
Bartow Middle School	Public	6-8	550 Clower St E	Bartow	33830	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 534-7415	881	46	19.1	71.3%	377 (42.8%)	172 (19.5%)	293 (33.3%)	6 (0.7%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	29 (3.3%)	23.4	999^th of 1216 public middle schools	17.8%		22.4	972^nd of 1205 public middle schools	19.3%	27		47.0	51.0	41.0		42.0	39.0	32.0		36.0	72.0	95.0	94.0	$10,530	$1,385	$9,146
Union Academy	Public, Magnet	6-8	1795 Wabash St E	Bartow	33830	Polk County	Polk	No	Yes	No	No	(863) 534-7435	382	20	19.1	49.0%	200 (52.4%)	81 (21.2%)	71 (18.6%)	16 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.7%)	72.1	304^th of 1216 public middle schools	75.0%		72.6	295^th of 1205 public middle schools	75.5%	9		72.0	76.0	79.0		71.0	49.0	60.0		68.0	78.0	83.0	94.0	$11,630	$1,208	$10,422
Mulberry Middle School	Public	6-8	500 Dr Mlk Jr Ave SE	Mulberry	33860	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 701-1066	1,058	46	23.0	74.1%	391 (37.0%)	87 (8.2%)	545 (51.5%)	8 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (2.5%)	31.1	895^th of 1216 public middle schools	26.4%		29	899^th of 1205 public middle schools	25.4%	4		50.0	50.0	45.0		57.0	48.0	39.0		40.0	77.0	83.0	94.0	$9,785	$1,433	$8,353
Lakeland Highlands Middle School	Public	6-8	740 Lake Miriam Dr	Lakeland	33813	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	No	(863) 648-3500	1,118	61	18.3	52.4%	543 (48.6%)	170 (15.2%)	331 (29.6%)	39 (3.5%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	32 (2.9%)	48	649^th of 1216 public middle schools	46.6%		48.6	611^th of 1205 public middle schools	49.3%	38		66.0	56.0	61.0		59.0	30.0	52.0		53.0	88.0	93.0	90.0	$9,544	$1,172	$8,372
Crystal Lake Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	2410 Crystal Lake Dr N	Lakeland	33801	Polk County	Polk	No	Yes	No	Yes	(863) 499-2970	753	32	23.5	83.1%	213 (28.3%)	180 (23.9%)	310 (41.2%)	11 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.7%)	34 (4.5%)	18.4	1051^st of 1216 public middle schools	13.6%		8	1129^th of 1205 public middle schools	6.3%	78		39.0	39.0	39.0		30.0	46.0	39.0		31.0	85.0	82.0	88.0	$11,361	$1,695	$9,665
Westwood Middle School	Public	6-8	3520 Avenue J NW	Winter Haven	33881	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 965-5484	712	44	16.1	77.2%	123 (17.3%)	233 (32.7%)	322 (45.2%)	4 (0.6%)	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.4%)	22	1014^th of 1216 public middle schools	16.6%		19.9	1005^th of 1205 public middle schools	16.6%	9		36.0	32.0	48.0		47.0	16.0	38.0		41.0	84.0	65.0	94.0	$12,030	$1,699	$10,331
Southwest Middle School	Public	6-8	2815 Eden Pkwy	Lakeland	33803	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 499-2840	746	32	23.3	73.3%	218 (29.2%)	175 (23.5%)	317 (42.5%)	9 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	25 (3.4%)	23.2	1000^th of 1216 public middle schools	17.8%		20.4	997^th of 1205 public middle schools	17.3%	3		46.0	49.0	45.0		40.0	36.0	35.0		38.0	79.0	85.0	90.0	$9,973	$1,386	$8,587
Denison Middle School	Public	6-8	400 Avenue A SE	Winter Haven	33880	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 291-5353	684	28	24.4	75.4%	128 (18.7%)	265 (38.7%)	270 (39.5%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.9%)	14	1098^th of 1216 public middle schools	9.7%		16.1	1054^th of 1205 public middle schools	12.5%	44		43.0	35.0	35.0		34.0	24.0	31.0		32.0	81.0	100.0	89.0	$10,243	$1,529	$8,714
Jere L. Stambaugh Middle	Public	6-8	226 Main St N	Auburndale	33823	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 965-5494	1,013	46	22.0	75.8%	369 (36.4%)	196 (19.3%)	405 (40.0%)	7 (0.7%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	31 (3.1%)	22.5	1008^th of 1216 public middle schools	17.1%		19.3	1016^th of 1205 public middle schools	15.7%	8		33.0	42.0	43.0		38.0	47.0	26.0		45.0	79.0	100.0	83.0	$9,690	$1,501	$8,188

Frequently Asked Questions about Compass Middle Charter School

What district is Compass Middle Charter School in?

Polk

What is the racial makeup of Compass Middle Charter School?

Students at Compass Middle Charter School are 43% Hispanic, 28% White, 27% African American, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Compass Middle Charter School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 168 students attended Compass Middle Charter School.

Is Compass Middle Charter School a good school?

Compass Middle Charter School ranks in the bottom 5.4% of Florida middle schools.

Rate Compass Middle Charter 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.