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Willow Oak School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1723^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 24% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Willow Oak School is an elementary school located in Mulberry, Florida, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 902 students. The school is part of the Polk District, which is ranked 61 out of 67 districts in Florida and is rated 1 star out of 5 by SchoolDigger. Willow Oak School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Florida elementary schools, ranking 1723 out of 2258 in the 2024-2025 school year and receiving a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Willow Oak School faces significant challenges in terms of academic performance, student attendance, and socioeconomic factors. The school has had high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 25.6% to 39.1% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, Willow Oak School's test scores are consistently lower than the Polk District and Florida state averages across various subjects and grade levels. For instance, in the 2024-2025 school year, Willow Oak School's 5th-grade science proficiency rate was 32%, compared to 45% for the Polk District and 55% for the state. The school also has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 67.18% to 78.38% over the past few years, suggesting a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

When comparing Willow Oak School to the nearby schools in the Polk District, it becomes evident that Willow Oak is underperforming. For instance, Valleyview Elementary School and Highlands Grove Elementary School, which are both within a 7-mile radius, have significantly higher test scores and state rankings than Willow Oak. Despite the higher spending per student at Willow Oak School, the academic performance remains relatively low compared to the state and district averages, suggesting that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution. Addressing the root causes of these issues, such as chronic absenteeism and economic disadvantage, will be crucial in improving the school's overall performance and providing a quality education for its students.

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%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 27th percentile in 2023 → 24th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (45% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (24th percentile)

!Science scores 23 pts below the Florida average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg49%

Florida avg58%

1,723^rd of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 24%▼ down 4 pts since 2023

From bottom 27% (2023) to bottom 24% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

53^rd 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	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 (2024-2025) ?

Math52%-9 vs state

English Language Arts43%-14 vs state

Science32%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Willow Oak 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
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%)	27.1	1723^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	23.7%		31	1595^th of 2256 public elementary schools	29.3%	128	47.0	39.0	42.0	59.0	49.0	48.0	32.0	$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%)	50.7	1098^th of 2258 public elementary schools	51.4%		59	884^th of 2256 public elementary schools	60.8%	214	64.0	53.0	58.0	57.0	67.0	46.0	53.0	$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)								$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%)	53.1	1040^th of 2258 public elementary schools	53.9%		49.2	1109^th of 2256 public elementary schools	50.8%	69	59.0	59.0	53.0	62.0	65.0	55.0	51.0	$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%)	16.4	2001^st of 2258 public elementary schools	11.4%		15.8	2015^th of 2256 public elementary schools	10.7%	14	31.0	41.0	46.0	34.0	38.0	40.0	36.0	$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%)	21.6	1857^th of 2258 public elementary schools	17.8%		31.3	1584^th of 2256 public elementary schools	29.8%	273	56.0	33.0	39.0	45.0	33.0	40.0	45.0	$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%)	57.7	930^th of 2258 public elementary schools	58.8%		68.5	676^th of 2256 public elementary schools	70.0%	254	67.0	56.0	57.0	67.0	64.0	60.0	48.0	$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%)	54.6	1003^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	55.6%		47.3	1168^th of 2256 public elementary schools	48.2%	165	46.0	53.0	56.0	65.0	67.0	56.0	67.0	$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%)	34.2	1520^th of 2258 public elementary schools	32.7%		26.7	1720^th of 2256 public elementary schools	23.8%	200	56.0	49.0	52.0	53.0	42.0	44.0	40.0	$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%)	79.4	416^th of 2258 public elementary schools	81.6%		84.4	313^th of 2256 public elementary schools	86.1%	103	67.0	70.0	66.0	71.0	78.0	82.0	70.0	$11,059	$1,070	$9,989

Frequently Asked Questions about Willow Oak School

Is Willow Oak School a good school?

Willow Oak School ranks in the bottom 23.7% of Florida elementary schools.

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

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.

What district is Willow Oak School in?

Polk

How many students attend Willow Oak School?

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

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Schools in Mulberry, 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.