Summary
Bella Citta in Bartow, FL, is a large combined elementary and middle school serving 1,459 students in grades PK-8, and it faces significant challenges compared to nearby schools, particularly with a very high chronic absenteeism rate of 57.4% and a high student-to-teacher ratio of 24.3:1.
One of the most striking findings is the school's severe attendance crisis, which is nearly double the district average and far exceeds the state average. This issue likely drives many of the school's academic struggles, especially in the middle school grades where proficiency drops significantly by 8th grade. For example, while 3rd-grade math proficiency (59%) is close to the state average, 8th-grade proficiency falls to 41% in both math and English Language Arts. In contrast, nearby Bartow Elementary Academy, just 1.27 miles away, has a chronic absenteeism rate of only 17.6% and significantly higher test scores, such as 81% proficiency in 3rd-grade ELA compared to Bella Citta's 53%. This stark difference suggests that school-specific factors, rather than just the community, are at play.
Despite these challenges, Bella Citta has bright spots in advanced coursework, with Geometry proficiency at 90% and Algebra 1 at 64%, both exceeding state averages. However, the school also has the lowest spending per student ($8,051) among all nearby schools, while serving a rapidly growing population of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds (free/reduced lunch increased from 34.68% to 54.9% in just two years). This combination of high needs and low resources, along with a high student-to-teacher ratio, points to an urgent need for systemic changes in resource allocation and attendance intervention to help students succeed.
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