1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
502
Elementary
DISTRICT 641 · STATE 604
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·POLK·NCES 120159002404
JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2727 SHEPHERD RD, LAKELAND, FL 33811 · (863) 648-3525 · Polk County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL502 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 59% of Florida public elementary schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Florida public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
14.3:1
35 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.3:1 · STATE 17.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
62%
309 students
DISTRICT 65% · STATE 50%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 14 | 3% |
| Kindergarten | 78 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 72 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 82 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 61 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 89 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 106 | 21% |
This year's kindergarten class (78) is 26% smaller than its 5th grade class (106).
Student demographics
65%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 67% · STATE 70% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
FAST / B.E.S.T. 2024-25 . % at Level 3 or AboveEnglish Language Arts
57.7%
FL avg 56.7% . -0.5pp since 2023
Math
55.9%
FL avg 58.9% . -6.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the FAST / B.E.S.T., Florida's statewide test, about 58 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 56 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Florida schools, those numbers are about 57 and 59. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2023, while math scores are down about 6 points.
FAST / B.E.S.T. results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 57.7% | 55.9% |
| 2023-24 | 58.1% | 61.9% |
% at Level 3 or Above, all students and all tested grades.
Source: FAST / B.E.S.T.. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
56.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
50.3%
based on FL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+6.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 57% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 50% typical for Florida schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Florida's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's state test result (56.8% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL this school | 502 | 61.6% | 56.8% |
| WILLISTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WILLISTON | 515 | 63.3% | 45.8% |
| LOPEZ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SEFFNER | 511 | 63.2% | 51.0% |
| BRENTWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SARASOTA | 590 | 61.7% | 58.3% |
| ENTERPRISE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ENTERPRISE | 544 | 59.0% | 55.9% |
| MILDRED HELMS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LARGO | 515 | 61.6% | 63.9% |
Matched among Florida elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Florida | In Polk County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 56.8% | #1,015 of 2,136 | #23 of 85 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 55.9% | #1,290 of 2,149 ▼ 420 | #29 of 86 ▼ 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 57.7% | #944 of 2,149 ▼ 143 | #23 of 86 ▼ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 502 | #1,413 of 2,267 | #59 of 89 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.3:1 | #441 of 2,077 | #5 of 85 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 64.6% | #591 of 2,108 | #43 of 85 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 61.6% | #848 of 2,188 | #62 of 88 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -41.6% | #55 of 1,374 | #1 of 39 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
502
-230 (-31%) vs 2020
-23% since 1990-91, when it was 656
Student : Teacher
14.3:1
was 14.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 502 | 35 | 14.3:1 | 62% (309) |
| 2023-24 | 551 | 39 | 14.1:1 | 58% (318) |
| 2022-23 | 563 | 39 | 14.4:1 | 37% (207) |
| 2020-21 | 732 | 50 | 14.6:1 | 52% (380) |
| 2017-18 | 860 | 56 | 15.4:1 | 47% (407) |
| 2015-16 | 853 | 53 | 16.1:1 | 57% (490) |
| 2010-11 | 905 | 59 | 15.3:1 | 54% (486) |
| 2000-01 | 688 | 42 | 16.4:1 | 44% (302) |
| 1990-91 | 656 | 34 | 19.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
About JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is an elementary school in LAKELAND, Florida, reachable at (863) 648-3525. School enrollment was 502 students in 2024-25, in pre-K through 5.
The 163 schools of POLK, including JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, enroll 116,552 students.
The most common group at JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is White students, at 46%. Enrollment also includes 35% Hispanic, 14% Black, and 5% multiracial. The school's White share is 10 points below the 56% share among Polk County residents. JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's diversity index is 65%, against a US figure of 70%.
The school reported 35 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 14.3:1. That is 3.1 students per teacher below the 17.5:1 average for elementary schools in Florida. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 62%. That tracks the 65% average for public schools in Polk County.
JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is graded B by allk12, scoring above 59% of Florida public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Test results at JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL are 6.5 points above what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (56.8% actual, 50.3% predicted).
Federal survey data for Polk County show that the median household income is $65,978, 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 11% of people live in poverty. There are 172 public schools in Polk County, enrolling about 117,004 students in all.
WILLOW OAK SCHOOL is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.0 miles away. The five-mile area around JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL holds at least 8 other public schools. Nearby schools average 47.7% on proficiency, and JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is above that at 56.8%.
Under the NCES locale system, JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is Suburb: Large.
2024-25 enrollment was 502, a 31% decrease from 732 in 2020-21.
Parents and students can post about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week at JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Polk County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
790,694
Census ACS
Median income
$65,978
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
172
117,004 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in POLK
- HAINES CITY SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 3,105 students
- DAVENPORT HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,731 students
- WINTER HAVEN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,648 students
- RIDGE COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,632 students
- GEORGE W. JENKINS SENIOR HIGHHigh · 2,469 students
- BARTOW SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,276 students
Other schools in LAKELAND
- GEORGE W. JENKINS SENIOR HIGHHigh · 2,469 students
- LAKELAND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,985 students
- LAKE GIBSON SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,973 students
- KATHLEEN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,861 students
- MCKEEL ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGYHigh · 1,750 students
- SOUTH MCKEEL ACADEMYElementary · 1,200 students
Nearby schools
- WILLOW OAK SCHOOL1.0 mi · 996
- R. BRUCE WAGNER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL2.0 mi · 899
- RCMA MULBERRY COMMUNITY ACADEMY2.4 mi · 107
- MEDULLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL2.6 mi · 488
- PURCELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL3.4 mi · 438
- SCOTT LAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL3.5 mi · 735
Frequently asked questions
About JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOLHow large is JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL enrolls approximately 502 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serve?
JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
The student-to-teacher ratio at JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is approximately 14.3:1 (35 FTE teachers).
How diverse is JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL reports a student body of 46% White, 35% Hispanic, 14% Black, 1% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL public or private?
JAMES W. SIKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a public K-12 school, overseen by POLK.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.