Summary:
Zip code 33839 in Eagle Lake, Florida, is home to two public elementary schools serving grades PK-5 within the Polk County School District, a district ranked in the bottom 13th percentile statewide.
Pinewood Elementary School is the clear standout in this area, consistently outperforming its counterpart in every academic subject. Pinewood ranks in the 28th percentile statewide and has shown a positive trend, improving its ranking from the previous year. In contrast, Eagle Lake Elementary School is ranked in the bottom 3% of all Florida elementary schools and has stagnated or declined in performance. A critical difference is chronic absenteeism: Pinewood's rate is 32.9%, while Eagle Lake's is a staggering 46.5%—nearly half of its students missing significant school time. This is almost certainly the primary driver of Eagle Lake's poor academic outcomes, as students who are not in class cannot learn.
The most striking finding is that higher spending does not guarantee better results. Eagle Lake spends $1,350 more per student ($11,515 vs. $10,165) than Pinewood, yet achieves far lower test scores. Both schools serve a high-poverty population (over 72% free/reduced lunch), but Pinewood demonstrates that a high-poverty school can achieve moderate success and show improvement. Math is a universal weakness for both schools, with proficiency rates significantly below state averages. For parents, the data strongly suggests that Pinewood Elementary School offers a more stable and effective learning environment, while Eagle Lake Elementary School faces a deep crisis centered on chronic absenteeism that must be addressed to improve student outcomes.
Thank you for your feedback!