CARLTON PALMORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Located at 3725 CLEVELND HTS BLVD, in LAKELAND, Florida, CARLTON PALMORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a tight-knit elementary school that serves 402 students (grades pre-K through 5), one of the schools within POLK. Compared to the state average of about 604 students per school, that is 33% below typical.

Within POLK, which oversees 163 schools and 116,552 students, CARLTON PALMORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, CARLTON PALMORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL records that 43% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Other groups include 28% Hispanic, 22% Black, 4% multiracial. By comparison, Polk County as a whole is about 56% White, so the school skews noticeably less White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, The school lists 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 15.5:1. The state averages around 17.5:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 67% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, CARLTON PALMORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 47.8%; this one delivers 44.4%.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Polk County indicate 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. CARLTON PALMORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one of 172 public schools in Polk County (combined enrollment of about 117,004 students).

The closest other public school is CLEVELAND COURT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, roughly 1.2 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, CARLTON PALMORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL comes 6th of 9 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 55.0%.

The school occupies an urban site.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 10%: 446 students in 2018 compared to 402 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 30% to 22% across the same window.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.