Hospital Homebound

Hospital Homebound is a small alternative public school in Bartow, Florida that serves students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, with an enrollment of 151 students. Located within the Polk School District, which is ranked 61st out of 67 districts in the state and has an overall 1-star rating from SchoolDigger, Hospital Homebound has some unique characteristics that set it apart from other schools in the area.

Despite having consistently high 4-year graduation rates, ranging from 82.2% to 89.7% over the past few years, which are significantly higher than the district and state averages, Hospital Homebound also has very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 30.9% to 39.1%. This is much higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, the school's test scores are generally lower than the district and state averages across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, only 8-45% of Hospital Homebound students were proficient or better in EOC/Algebra 1, EOC/Geometry, EOC/Biology 1, EOC/US History, and 10th grade FAST/English Language Arts, compared to 39-71% at the district and state levels.

Interestingly, Hospital Homebound has very low free/reduced lunch rates, ranging from 1.99% to 9.91% over the past few years, which is significantly lower than the nearby alternative schools, such as Simmons Career Center, Karen M. Siegel Academy, and Victory Ridge Academy, which have rates ranging from 30.77% to 98.24%. However, the school's spending per student, ranging from $52,169 to $77,894 over the past few years, is higher than these nearby alternative schools, which have spending per student ranging from $9,559 to $43,851.