Ridge Community High School

Ridge Community High School in Davenport, FL, is a large traditional public high school serving 2,632 students in grades 9-12 within the Polk County School District, a district ranked in the bottom 13th percentile statewide.

Ridge Community faces significant challenges, most notably a chronic absenteeism rate of 40.9%—far higher than the state average of 31.4% and dramatically above the 3.8% rate at nearby Chain Of Lakes Collegiate High. Math proficiency is a major weakness, with only 27% of students proficient in Algebra 1 and 21% in Geometry, roughly half the state averages. However, the school shows a clear strength in U.S. History, where 70% of students are proficient, matching the district average and exceeding schools like Celebration High (67%). The graduation rate has also improved dramatically, climbing from 78.1% to 91.9% in recent years, though it still trails the state average of 92.2% and rates at nearby Discovery High (97.4%) and Poinciana High (98.1%).

Interestingly, the school’s performance is typical of its struggling Polk County district, but it is significantly outperformed by schools just a few miles away in the higher-performing Osceola County, such as Four Corners Upper School and Celebration High, which rank in the 50th percentile. The school spends about $8,108 per student, lower than many nearby schools but higher than Davenport High School ($7,709). The key to improvement likely lies in tackling chronic absenteeism and providing targeted math interventions, as the school’s rising graduation rate suggests effective credit recovery programs are already in place.