KATHLEEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

KATHLEEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, a cozy elementary-level community in LAKELAND, Florida, part of POLK, enrolls 453 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 25% leaner than the state mean of about 604.

Within POLK, which oversees 163 schools and 116,552 students, KATHLEEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the system.

Demographically, KATHLEEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL shows that 42% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. The remainder comes out to 35% Hispanic, 20% Black, 2% multiracial. By comparison, Polk County as a whole is about 56% White, so the school skews noticeably less White than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, KATHLEEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL records 29 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 15.6:1. The state averages around 17.5:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 79% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Polk County runs at roughly 65%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, KATHLEEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 41.7% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 41.4%.

Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (Polk County) shows that median household earnings sit near $65,978, 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Polk County's 172 public schools (combined enrollment of about 117,004 students), KATHLEEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is KATHLEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL, roughly 0.1 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, KATHLEEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL comes 6th of 9 in the immediate cluster, above the nearby-schools average of 40.4%.

The school occupies a suburban site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at KATHLEEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL has edged down 17%, going from 546 students in 2018 to 453 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment grew from 27% to 35% over that span.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.