Summary:
In zip code 33853 (Lake Wales, FL), there is a single middle school, Edward W Bok Academy North, serving grades 6 through 8 with 726 students in the Polk County district, which is ranked 61st out of 70 districts in Florida.
Edward W Bok Academy North presents a striking paradox in its academic performance. The school excels dramatically in advanced, high school-level End-of-Course (EOC) exams, with 91% proficiency in Geometry and 97% in Biology 1—far exceeding both district and state averages. However, it struggles significantly in standard 8th-grade core subjects, where only 20% of students are proficient in Science and just 23% in Math, both well below state averages. This suggests the school effectively accelerates its top students but may be failing to support the majority of its 8th graders in foundational subjects. The school’s state ranking has also declined steadily over three years, dropping from the 37th percentile (2 stars) in 2023-2024 to the 26th percentile (1 star) in 2025-2026. Additionally, Civics is a major weakness, with only 47% proficiency compared to the state average of 77%.
Key metrics include a student-teacher ratio of 20.1:1, per-student spending of $6,959, and a high poverty indicator with 71.49% of students receiving free or reduced lunch. Chronic absenteeism is 25.8%, which is better than the district average of 39.1%. For parents, the school offers strong advanced coursework opportunities but raises concerns about core subject instruction, particularly in 8th-grade Math and Science, and a declining overall trend that warrants attention.
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