DISCOVERY ACADEMY OF LAKE ALFRED

DISCOVERY ACADEMY OF LAKE ALFRED operates as a middle-of-the-pack middle school in LAKE ALFRED, Florida, part of POLK. Current enrollment sits at 1,039 students spanning grades 6 through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 31% above the state mean of about 794.

Within POLK, which oversees 163 schools and 116,552 students, DISCOVERY ACADEMY OF LAKE ALFRED is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, DISCOVERY ACADEMY OF LAKE ALFRED lists that 49% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Beyond that, the school reports 29% White, 18% Black, 4% multiracial. By comparison, Polk County as a whole is about 29% Hispanic, so the school skews visibly more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 48 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 21.6:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 19.6:1, putting DISCOVERY ACADEMY OF LAKE ALFRED higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 67% of students at DISCOVERY ACADEMY OF LAKE ALFRED qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, DISCOVERY ACADEMY OF LAKE ALFRED tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 47.7% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 52.9%.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Polk County put median household earnings sit near $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. In all, Polk County runs 172 public schools (combined enrollment of about 117,004 students), of which DISCOVERY ACADEMY OF LAKE ALFRED is one.

KAREN M. SIEGEL ACADEMY is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts DISCOVERY ACADEMY OF LAKE ALFRED at 2nd of 7; the average score across the group is 47.4%.

Geographically, the school is in a rural area. As a public charter, DISCOVERY ACADEMY OF LAKE ALFRED runs on public funding but with greater curricular and operational autonomy than a typical district school.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count grew 9%: 956 students in 2018 compared to 1,039 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 42% to 29% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio grew from 16.8:1 in 2018 to 21.6:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.