KATHLEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL

KATHLEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL, a medium-sized 6-8 campus in LAKELAND, Florida, part of POLK, instructs 742 students, covering grades 6 through 8.

KATHLEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL is one of 163 schools operated by POLK, a district that hosts 116,552 students overall.

In terms of who attends, KATHLEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL reports that the most-represented group is Hispanic (44%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school logs 34% White, 18% Black, 3% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 29% Hispanic, putting the school's mix meaningfully more Hispanic than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, KATHLEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL has 39 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 19.0:1. That tracks the state average closely. Roughly 80% of students at KATHLEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Polk County (around 65%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, KATHLEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 41.0% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 31.1%.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Polk County put median household earnings sit near $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. In all, Polk County runs 172 public schools (combined enrollment of about 117,004 students), of which KATHLEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL is one.

The closest other public school is KATHLEEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, roughly 0.1 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), KATHLEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL ranks 8th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 41.6%.

The campus sits in a suburban setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. KATHLEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL's enrollment has increased 25% since 2018, when it stood at 595 (now 742). The Hispanic share of enrollment edged up from 28% to 44% over that span. Class-load math has rose: from 13.5:1 in 2018 to 19.0:1 in 2025.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.