COMPASS MIDDLE CHARTER SCHOOL

Set in BARTOW, Florida, COMPASS MIDDLE CHARTER SCHOOL is a tiny middle school, operated by POLK. It instructs 168 students across grades 5 through 8. By comparison, Florida's public schools average about 794 students each, so COMPASS MIDDLE CHARTER SCHOOL sits 79% smaller than that benchmark.

Within POLK, which oversees 163 schools and 116,552 students, COMPASS MIDDLE CHARTER SCHOOL is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, COMPASS MIDDLE CHARTER SCHOOL lists that the largest single group is Hispanic at 43%, but no single group is in the majority; the rest is composed of 28% White, 27% Black. That is noticeably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 29%.

Looking at school resources, COMPASS MIDDLE CHARTER SCHOOL lists 9 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 18.7:1. The state averages around 19.6:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 87% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Polk County (around 65%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

Across the wider county, community-level numbers for Polk County indicate median household income runs about $65,978, about 24% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. COMPASS MIDDLE CHARTER SCHOOL is one of 172 public schools in Polk County (combined enrollment of about 117,004 students).

BARTOW MIDDLE SCHOOL is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

The school occupies a small-town site. As a public charter, COMPASS MIDDLE CHARTER SCHOOL runs on public funding but with greater curricular and operational autonomy than a typical district school.

Over the past 7-year window. COMPASS MIDDLE CHARTER SCHOOL's enrollment has expanded 17% since 2018, when it stood at 144 (now 168). The White share of enrollment climbed from 22% to 28% over that span. Class-load math has loosened: from 16.0:1 in 2018 to 18.7:1 in 2025.

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