JAMES E. STEPHENS ACADEMY

JAMES E. STEPHENS ACADEMY is one of the close-knit elementary schools in BARTOW, Florida, part of POLK, with 336 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5. By comparison, Florida's public schools average about 604 students each, so JAMES E. STEPHENS ACADEMY sits 44% smaller than that benchmark.

POLK comprises 163 schools with combined enrollment of 116,552 students; JAMES E. STEPHENS ACADEMY is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, JAMES E. STEPHENS ACADEMY logs that 41% of students identify as Black, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Beyond that, the school reports 32% Hispanic, 22% White, 4% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 15% Black, putting the school's mix considerably more Black than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school currently runs with 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.6:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 17.5:1 average. About 79% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is higher than Polk County's rate of about 65%.

With demographic context factored in, JAMES E. STEPHENS ACADEMY tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 41.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 51.5%.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Polk County indicate 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 JAMES E. STEPHENS ACADEMY is one.

The closest other public school is GAUSE ACADEMY OF LEADERSHIP, roughly 0.7 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), JAMES E. STEPHENS ACADEMY ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 52.7%.

The school occupies a town-center site.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 12%: 380 students in 2018 compared to 336 in 2025. The White share of enrollment shrank from 30% to 22% over that span.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.