BETHUNE ACADEMY

BETHUNE ACADEMY is a K-5 school of tight-knit scale in HAINES CITY, Florida, run under POLK, instructing 430 students in grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 604 students per school, that is 29% leaner than typical.

POLK runs 163 schools in total, collectively educating 116,552 students. BETHUNE ACADEMY is one of those campuses.

Demographically, BETHUNE ACADEMY reports that 51% of students identify as Black, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Beyond that, the school records 34% Hispanic, 11% White, 3% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 15% Black, putting the school's mix meaningfully more Black than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, The school lists 20 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 21.5:1. The state averages around 17.5:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 78% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Polk County (around 65%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

With demographic context factored in, BETHUNE ACADEMY sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 42.1%; this one delivers 52.7%.

Across the wider county, census data for Polk County shows median household income runs about $65,978, roughly 24% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. BETHUNE ACADEMY is one of 172 public schools in Polk County (combined enrollment of about 117,004 students).

Nearest neighbor: EASTSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, around 0.7 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around BETHUNE ACADEMY. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), BETHUNE ACADEMY ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 41.1%.

The school occupies a suburban site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 7%: 461 students in 2018 compared to 430 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment rose from 36% to 51% over that span. Class-load math has loosened: from 14.9:1 in 2018 to 21.5:1 in 2025.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.