LAKE GIBSON MIDDLE SCHOOL

As a mid-tier middle school in LAKELAND, Florida, LAKE GIBSON MIDDLE SCHOOL educates 1,149 students from grades 6 through 8, operated by POLK. By comparison, Florida's public schools average about 794 students each, so LAKE GIBSON MIDDLE SCHOOL sits 45% bigger than that benchmark.

POLK comprises 163 schools with combined enrollment of 116,552 students; LAKE GIBSON MIDDLE SCHOOL is among them.

Demographically, LAKE GIBSON MIDDLE SCHOOL lists that the most-represented group is White (42%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest reads as 34% Hispanic, 19% Black, 2% multiracial, 2% Asian. By comparison, Polk County as a whole is about 56% White, so the school skews noticeably less White than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, LAKE GIBSON MIDDLE SCHOOL records 53 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 21.7:1. The state averages around 19.6:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Roughly 69% of students at LAKE GIBSON MIDDLE SCHOOL qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

With demographic context factored in, LAKE GIBSON MIDDLE SCHOOL sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 46.5%; this one delivers 36.0%.

Around the school, Polk County reports that median household earnings sit near $65,978, 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. LAKE GIBSON MIDDLE SCHOOL is one of 172 public schools in Polk County (combined enrollment of about 117,004 students).

Nearest neighbor: LAKE GIBSON SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, around 0.3 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, LAKE GIBSON MIDDLE SCHOOL comes 7th of 9 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 40.3%.

LAKE GIBSON MIDDLE SCHOOL operates from a commuter-belt location.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at LAKE GIBSON MIDDLE SCHOOL has edged down 9%, going from 1,256 students in 2018 to 1,149 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 27% to 34% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio grew from 18.2:1 in 2018 to 21.7:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, members of the LAKE GIBSON MIDDLE SCHOOL community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.