Polk Times

Polk County School District's ninth-grade had the highest student enrollment per grade in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Overall, there were 9,887 students enrolled in district’s ninth-grade in the 2023-24 school year, making up 8.5% of the student body in the district.

The number of students in the ninth-grade fell by 0.4% compared to the year before.

Polk County School District also had a high enrollment for the third-grade, the second highest recorded in the district.

Within the district, Haines City Senior High School had the most ninth-grade students in the 2023-24 school year.

Data showed that Polk County School District enrolled a total of 116,031 students in the 2023-24 school year, the seventh highest enrollment in Florida.

It was also ranked seventh highest in the year before.

Meanwhile, Florida continues to face a teacher shortage in the 2023-24 school year. Despite some improvements, the state reported nearly 4,800 instructional vacancies at the beginning of the year. According to the Florida Department of Education, core subjects such as English, reading, and math among the areas with the highest demand for teachers.

According to the National Education Association (NEA), Florida ranked 50th in the U.S. for teacher pay in the 2022-23 school year, with salaries lower than they were a decade ago when adjusted for inflation.

Governor DeSantis's budget for the 2024-25 school year allocates nearly $38 billion for education, with $1.25 billion dedicated to teachers' salaries and other instructional personnel.

Schools	Number of Students
Achievement Academy	157
Alta Vista Elementary School	760
Alturas Elementary School	296
Auburndale Central Elementary School	372
Auburndale Senior High School	1,777
Bartow Elementary Academy	531
Bartow Middle School	999
Bartow Senior High School	2,243
Berkley Elementary School	696
Bethune Academy	430
Bill Duncan Opportunity Center	85
Bok Academy	627
Bridgeprep Academy of Polk	535
Carlton Palmore Elementary School	413
Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School	314
Chain of Lakes Elementary School	1,008
Citrus Ridge A. Civics Academy	1,347
Clarence Boswell Elementary School	619
Cleveland Court Elementary School	398
Combee Academy of Design and Engineering	529
Compass Middle Charter School	161
Crystal Lake Elementary School	448
Crystal Lake Middle School	926
Cypress Junction Montessori	193
Dale R. Fair Babson Park Elementary School	465
Daniel Jenkins Academy of Technology Middle School	499
Davenport Elementary School	880
Davenport High School	2,481
Davenport School of the Arts	1,513
Denison Middle School	729
Discovery Academy of Lake Alfred	911
Discovery High School	812
Dixieland Elementary School	325
Don E. Woods Opportunity Center	65
Doris A. Sanders Learning Center	84
Dr. Ne Roberts Elementary School	749
Dundee Elementary Academy	636
Dundee Ridge Middle Academy	723
Eagle Lake Elementary School	697
Eastside Elementary School	664
Edgar L. Padgett Elementary School	554
Edward W. Bok Academy North	670
Elbert Elementary School	596
Floral Avenue Elementary School	629
Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School	771
Frank E. Brigham Academy	551
Fresh Start Community School	133
Frostproof Middle/Senior High School	1,082
Garden Grove Elementary School	691
Gause Academy of Leadership	82
George W. Jenkins Senior High School	2,517
Griffin Elementary School	592
Haines City Senior High School	2,914
Hartridge Academy	171
Highland City Elementary School	415
Highlands Grove Elementary School	712
Hillcrest Elementary School	665
Horizons Elementary School	1,500
Hospital Homebound	28
Inwood Elementary School	393
James W. Sikes Elementary School	551
Janie Howard Wilson School	430
Jean O'Dell Learning Center	78
Jere L. Stambaugh Middle School	1,090
Jesse Keen Elementary School	614
Jewett Middle Academy Magnet	587
Jewett School of the Arts	737
John Snively Elementary School	397
Karen M. Siegel Academy	159
Kathleen Elementary School	480
Kathleen Middle School	835
Kathleen Senior High School	1,951
Lake Alfred Elementary School	880
Lake Alfred Polytech Academy	767
Lake Gibson Middle School	1,118
Lake Gibson Senior High School	2,039
Lake Marion Creek Middle School	1,038
Lake Region High School	1,554
Lake Shipp Elementary School	620
Lake Wales Senior High School	1,599
Lakeland Highlands Middle School	1,260
Lakeland Montessori Middle School	30
Lakeland Montessori School House	108
Lakeland Senior High School	2,057
Language & Literacy Academy for Learning	341
Laurel Elementary School	1,049
Lawton Chiles Middle Academy	671
Lena Vista Elementary School	963
Lewis Anna Woodbury Elementary School	587
Lincoln Avenue Academy	522
Loughman Oaks Elementary School	1,113
Magnolia Montessori Academy	178
Maynard A. Traviss Technical Academy	110
McKeel Academy Central	610
McKeel Academy of Technology	1,722
Medulla Elementary School	503
Mi Escuela Montessori	239
Mulberry Middle School	1,176
Mulberry Senior High School	1,399
Navigator Academy of Leadership Davenport	994
New Beginnings High School	837
North Lakeland Elementary School of Choice	637
Oscar J. Pope Elementary School	378
Pace Center for Girls	23
Palmetto Elementary School	636
Philip O'Brien Elementary School	633
Pinewood Elementary School	530
Polk Avenue Elementary School	534
Polk City Elementary School	539
Polk County Sheriff's Central Center	36
Polk County Sheriffs Regional Detention Center	49
Polk Full Time Eschool	455
Polk Grad Academy	20
Polk Halfway House	24
Polk Pre-Collegiate Academy	39
Polk State College Collegiate High School	334
Polk Virtual Instruction Program	28
Purcell Elementary School	474
R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School	954
R. Clem Churchwell Elementary School	686
Real Academy (Reaching Every Adolescent Learner)	264
Ridge Community High School	2,666
Ridge Technical Academy	143
Ridge Teen Parent Program	10
Ridgeview Global Studies Academy	1,573
Rochelle School of the Arts	803
Roosevelt Academy	277
Rosabelle W. Blake Academy	603
Sandhill Elementary School	1,017
Scott Lake Elementary School	450
Shelley S. Boone Middle School	1,421
Sleepy Hill Elementary School	766
Sleepy Hill Middle School	1,087
Socrum Elementary School	515
South McKeel Academy	1,199
Southwest Elementary School	380
Southwest Middle School	899
Spessard L. Holland Elementary School	769
Spook Hill Elementary School	547
Tenoroc High School	1,157
Transition School	41
Union Academy	389
Valleyview Elementary School	817
Victory Ridge Academy	314
Wahneta Elementary School	492
Walter Caldwell Elementary School	895
Wendell Watson Elementary School	835
Westwood Middle School	795
Willow Oak School	902
Winston Academy of Engineering	520
Winter Haven Senior High School	2,553
Total Polk County School District	116,031