Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in POLK

This page covers 83 elementary schools in POLK, including 13 charter schools. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score below the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

83
Schools Ranked
Florida
State
13
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 83
1
rank
HIGHLAND CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Grades PK–05425 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
54
/100
Student:Teacher
13.7:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,028
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
48%
Near nat'l 52.2%
2
rank
MI ESCUELA MONTESSORI
Grades PK–05202 studentsCharter
Ranked for: small class sizes (11.5:1)
53
/100
Student:Teacher
11.5:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
45/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,028
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
47%
Near nat'l 52.2%
3
rank
LAKELAND MONTESSORI SCHOOL HOUSE
Grades KG–06110 studentsCharter
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
52
/100
Student:Teacher
13.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
39/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,028
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
4%
Low economic need
4
rank
PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Grades PK–05513 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
51
/100
Student:Teacher
15.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,028
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
52%
Near nat'l 52.2%
5
rank
MAGNOLIA MONTESSORI ACADEMY
Grades KG–08171 studentsCharter
Ranked for: small class sizes (13.2:1)
51
/100
Student:Teacher
13.2:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
35/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,028
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
7%
Low economic need
6
rank
CITRUS RIDGE A CIVICS ACADEMY
Grades PK–081,457 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
51
/100
Student:Teacher
15.3:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,028
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
48%
Near nat'l 52.2%
7
rank
CYPRESS JUNCTION MONTESSORI
Grades PK–08196 studentsCharter
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
50
/100
Student:Teacher
15.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
37/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,028
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
2%
Low economic need
8
rank
LINCOLN AVENUE ACADEMY
Grades KG–05526 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
49
/100
Student:Teacher
15.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
39/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,028
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
24%
Low economic need
9
rank
JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Grades PK–05563 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
49
/100
Student:Teacher
14.4:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,028
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
37%
Low economic need
10
rank
SCOTT LAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Grades PK–05727 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
48
/100
Student:Teacher
15.2:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,028
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
36%
Low economic need
73 more elementary schools in POLK not shown here.
View all schools in POLK
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
83
Elementary Schools
162
Total Schools
54
#1 Score
45
Avg Score
StateFlorida →
District profilePOLK →
Top Ranked Elementary School
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Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.