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Sandhill Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

2082^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Sandhill Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Haines City, Florida, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 1,017 students. The school is part of the Polk School District, which is ranked 61 out of 67 districts in Florida and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Sandhill Elementary School faces significant challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 30.9% to 46.4% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages. The school also consistently underperforms compared to the Polk district and Florida state averages across various subjects and grade levels, with proficiency rates in 5th grade Science (27%), 3rd grade ELA (43%), and 5th grade Math (25%) well below the district and state averages. Additionally, Sandhill Elementary School has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 54.59% to 72.86% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

When compared to nearby schools in the same district, Sandhill Elementary School generally underperforms. For example, Bethune Academy, a public magnet school, consistently outperforms Sandhill Elementary School in test scores and other metrics. The low performance of Sandhill Elementary School presents an opportunity for targeted interventions and support to help improve student achievement, such as addressing chronic absenteeism, providing additional resources and support for economically disadvantaged students, and exploring best practices from higher-performing nearby schools.

1,111

Students ?

18.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,021

Per pupil spending ?

68.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1801 Tyner Rd
Haines City, FL 33844

(863) 419-3166

District: Polk

Students who attend Sandhill Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Lake Marion Creek Middle School
High:	Haines City Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.8%

African American:

22.4%

White:

14.9%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Sandhill Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 52nd percentile in 2014 → 8th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (35% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (46% vs 31% Florida)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg49%

Florida avg58%

2,082^nd of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 25 pts since 2016

From bottom 32% (2016) to bottom 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

79^th of 86Elementary Schools in the Polk

61^st of 67Polk 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
2025	12.9	2082 of 2258	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	1981 of 2256	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.5	2096 of 2240	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.3	2017 of 2219	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.5	2033 of 2247	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.2	1840 of 2182	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.8	1610 of 2118	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	27.5	1564 of 2112	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	33.8	1409 of 2087	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	52.1	985 of 2064	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	64.4	698 of 2029	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	58.3	833 of 1984	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	52.3	995 of 1985	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	65.4	692 of 1919	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.4	745 of 1847	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	39.5	1142 of 1789	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	10.7	1663 of 1786	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	14.0	1508 of 1688	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts40%-17 vs state

Math33%-28 vs state

Science27%-28 vs state

5.0

1 rating

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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Schools Near Sandhill Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				FAST English Language Arts (2025)			FAST Math (2025)			Statewide Science Science (2025)	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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Sandhill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1801 Tyner Rd	Haines City	33844	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 419-3166	1,111	59	18.8	68.5%	166 (14.9%)	249 (22.4%)	653 (58.8%)	10 (0.9%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	29 (2.6%)	12.9	2082^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	7.8%		17	1981^st of 2256 public elementary schools	12.2%	101	43.0	36.0	40.0	38.0	36.0	25.0	27.0	$10,021	$1,611	$8,411
Dundee Elementary Academy	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	215 Frederick Ave	Dundee	33838	Polk County	Polk	No	Yes	No	Yes	(863) 421-3316	657	41	16.0	63.8%	197 (30.0%)	111 (16.9%)	324 (49.3%)	7 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	16 (2.4%)	61.2	853^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	62.2%		76.1	500^th of 2256 public elementary schools	77.8%	353	58.0	58.0	58.0	64.0	63.0	70.0	61.0	$10,904	$1,372	$9,533
Alta Vista Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	801 Scenic Hwy S	Haines City	33844	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 421-3235	780	45	17.3	70.9%	80 (10.3%)	191 (24.5%)	495 (63.5%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	9 (1.2%)	12.3	2098^th of 2258 public elementary schools	7.1%		15.8	2011^th of 2256 public elementary schools	10.9%	87	32.0	34.0	37.0	30.0	42.0	37.0	34.0	$10,923	$1,568	$9,354
Laurel Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1851 Laurel Ave	Poinciana	34759	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 427-1375	1,126	55	20.4	78.2%	80 (7.1%)	475 (42.2%)	533 (47.3%)	13 (1.2%)	6 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	18 (1.6%)	30.3	1637^th of 2258 public elementary schools	27.5%		24.6	1777^th of 2256 public elementary schools	21.2%	140	43.0	46.0	51.0	49.0	52.0	45.0	43.0	$9,235	$1,318	$7,918
Eastside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1820 Johnson Ave E	Haines City	33844	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 421-3254	725	34	21.3	77.0%	47 (6.5%)	179 (24.7%)	492 (67.9%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	12.8	2084^th of 2258 public elementary schools	7.7%		28.8	1654^th of 2256 public elementary schools	26.7%	430	34.0	21.0	29.0	40.0	41.0	46.0	32.0	$11,092	$1,550	$9,541
Bethune Academy	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	900 Avenue F	Haines City	33844	Polk County	Polk	No	Yes	No	Yes	(863) 421-3334	430	20	21.5	77.9%	46 (10.7%)	218 (50.7%)	148 (34.4%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.6%)	50.4	1103^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	51.2%		39.9	1348^th of 2256 public elementary schools	40.2%	245	69.0	56.0	52.0	73.0	59.0	59.0	37.0	$11,143	$2,085	$9,058
Garden Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4599 Cypress Gardens Rd	Winter Haven	33884	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 291-5396	652	31	21.0	74.4%	219 (33.6%)	189 (29.0%)	208 (31.9%)	7 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.3%)	32.7	1566^th of 2258 public elementary schools	30.6%		41.7	1300^th of 2256 public elementary schools	42.4%	266	36.0	39.0	62.0	28.0	35.0	75.0	57.0	$10,412	$1,399	$9,013
Palmetto Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	315 Palmetto St	Poinciana	34759	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 427-6012	479	25	19.1	73.7%	34 (7.1%)	118 (24.6%)	314 (65.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.1%)	12.8	2088^th of 2258 public elementary schools	7.5%		21.3	1871^st of 2256 public elementary schools	17.1%	217	39.0	33.0	37.0	44.0	22.0	23.0	38.0	$10,849	$1,479	$9,369
Chestnut Elementary School For Science And Engineering	Public	PK, KG-5	4300 Chestnut St	Kissimmee	34759	Osceola County	Osceola	No	No	No	Yes	(407) 870-4862	729	47	15.6	67.4%	75 (10.3%)	178 (24.4%)	453 (62.1%)	5 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.7%)	11 (1.5%)	29.2	1670^th of 2258 public elementary schools	26.0%		30.9	1597^th of 2256 public elementary schools	29.2%	73	46.0	52.0	36.0	59.0	51.0	39.0	41.0	$12,086	$1,243	$10,843
Davenport Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8 W Palmetto St	Davenport	33837	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 534-0500	938	37	25.3	67.4%	119 (12.7%)	183 (19.5%)	606 (64.6%)	8 (0.9%)	7 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (1.6%)	23.2	1820^th of 2258 public elementary schools	19.4%		34	1515^th of 2256 public elementary schools	32.8%	305	46.0	47.0	37.0	39.0	51.0	35.0	45.0	$9,933	$1,341	$8,592

Frequently Asked Questions about Sandhill Elementary School

What district is Sandhill Elementary School in?

Polk

What is the racial makeup of Sandhill Elementary School?

Students at Sandhill Elementary School are 59% Hispanic, 22% African American, 15% White, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Sandhill Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Sandhill Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lake Marion Creek Middle School
High : Haines City Senior High School

Is Sandhill Elementary School a good school?

Sandhill Elementary School ranks in the bottom 7.8% of Florida elementary schools.

How many students attend Sandhill Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,111 students attended Sandhill Elementary School.

Rate Sandhill Elementary School!

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Schools in Haines City, FL

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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.