CHAIN OF LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

CHAIN OF LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, an expansive elementary campus in WINTER HAVEN, Florida, one of the schools within POLK, hosts 1,007 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 604 students per school, that is 67% larger than typical.

POLK runs 163 schools in total, collectively educating 116,552 students. CHAIN OF LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, CHAIN OF LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL reports that the most-represented group is Hispanic (38%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Other groups include 31% White, 22% Black, 6% Asian, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Polk County as a whole is about 29% Hispanic, so the school skews considerably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, CHAIN OF LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL logs 56 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 18.0:1. That tracks the state average closely. About 56% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is lower than Polk County's rate of about 65%.

With demographic context factored in, CHAIN OF LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 53.3%; this one delivers 60.1%.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Polk County put the typical household earns roughly $65,978 per year, roughly 24% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. Across Polk County's 172 public schools (combined enrollment of about 117,004 students), CHAIN OF LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is SOUTH POINTE ELEMENTARY, roughly 2.2 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), CHAIN OF LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks 1st on composite proficiency, above the local average of 43.6%.

The school occupies a metropolitan site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 9%: 1,103 students in 2018 compared to 1,007 in 2025. The White share of enrollment edged down from 48% to 31% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 15.5:1 in 2018 to 18.0:1 today.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.