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Willow Oak School

Q: Is Willow Oak School a good school?

Willow Oak School ranks 1514 th of 2240 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1514^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 32% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Willow Oak School in Mulberry, FL, is a large elementary school serving 996 students in grades PK-5 within the Polk district, where 79% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Willow Oak stands out for its strong math performance, which is a relative bright spot compared to nearby schools. In the 2025-2026 school year, math proficiency at Willow Oak met or exceeded the district average in every grade level, with 66% of 3rd graders proficient. This is particularly notable given the school's high poverty rate, as it outperforms schools like R. Bruce Wagner Elementary (65% FRL) in 3rd and 4th-grade math. However, math scores have been declining across all grades since 2022-2023. In English Language Arts (ELA), the school shows a significant "5th grade slump," with proficiency dropping from 57% in 3rd grade to 39% in 5th grade—a stark contrast to Valleyview Elementary, where 5th-grade ELA is 69%. Science scores are also a persistent weakness, with only 44% of 5th graders proficient, well below the state average of 60% and far behind schools like Springhead Elementary (74%).

Despite these challenges, Willow Oak shows positive trends. Chronic absenteeism has improved dramatically, dropping from 34.5% in 2021-2022 to 25.6% in 2023-2024, which is better than the district average of 39.1% and schools like Medulla Elementary (41.2%). The school has also moved from a 1-star to a 2-star rating, ranking in the 32nd percentile for 2025-2026, while nearby James W. Sikes Elementary dropped from a 3-star to a 2-star. Notably, Willow Oak achieves these results with the lowest per-student spending ($10,696) among comparable schools, while higher-spending schools like RCMA Mulberry Community Academy ($14,643) and Carlton Palmore Elementary ($12,914) are among the lowest-performing.

996

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,696

Per pupil spending ?

79%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4815 Bailey Road
Mulberry, FL 33860

(863) 417-6670

District: Polk

Students who attend Willow Oak School usually attend:

Middle:	Mulberry Middle School
High:	Mulberry Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.6%

White:

33.2%

African American:

5.8%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Willow Oak School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 27th percentile in 2023 → 32nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2023

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (53% vs 62% meeting standards)

!Science scores 16 pts below the Florida average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school53%

District avg53%

Florida avg62%

1,514^th of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 32%▲ up 5 pts since 2023

From bottom 27% (2023) to bottom 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

34^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	35.5	1514 of 2240	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.1	1723 of 2258	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.0	1595 of 2256	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.5	1625 of 2240	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Math61%-4 vs state

English Language Arts49%-11 vs state

Science44%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Willow Oak 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)	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
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
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
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
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
Purcell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	305 1st Ave NE	Mulberry	33860	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 701-1061	438	24	18.2	81.7%	159 (36.3%)	51 (11.6%)	214 (48.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.0%)	10.4	2135^th of 2240 public elementary schools	4.7%		16.4	2001^st of 2258 public elementary schools	11.4%	134	37.0	34.0	48.0	36.0	45.0	33.0	32.0	$12,119	$1,730	$10,388
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
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
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
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
Valleyview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2900 State Rd 540a E	Lakeland	33813	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	No	(863) 648-3535	783	52	15.0	41.4%	412 (52.6%)	117 (14.9%)	184 (23.5%)	43 (5.5%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (2.8%)	74.7	511^th of 2240 public elementary schools	77.2%		79.4	416^th of 2258 public elementary schools	81.6%	95	73.0	71.0	69.0	73.0	70.0	82.0	69.0	$11,059	$1,070	$9,989

Frequently Asked Questions about Willow Oak School

What district is Willow Oak School in?

Polk

Is Willow Oak School a good school?

Willow Oak School ranks 1514^th of 2240 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Willow Oak School?

Students at Willow Oak School are 59% Hispanic, 33% White, 6% African American, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Willow Oak School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 996 students attended Willow Oak School.

What schools do graduates of Willow Oak School attend?

Students who attend Willow Oak School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Mulberry Middle School
High : Mulberry Senior High 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.