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If you had an hour of school board time for LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL, what would you bring up?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,118
Middle
DISTRICT 741 · STATE 794
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·POLK·NCES 120159001793
LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL
740 LAKE MIRIAM DR, LAKELAND, FL 33813 · (863) 648-3500 · Polk County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,118 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 51% of Florida public middle schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
18.3:1
61 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 20.9:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
52%
586 students
DISTRICT 65% · STATE 50%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 342 | 31% |
| Grade 7 | 367 | 33% |
| Grade 8 | 409 | 37% |
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
58.7%
FL avg 56.7% . +5.7pp since 2023
Math
52.3%
FL avg 58.9% . -4.2pp since 2023
What this means: On the FAST / B.E.S.T., Florida's statewide test, about 59 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 52 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Florida schools, those numbers are about 57 and 59. Reading and writing scores are up about 6 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 4 points.
FAST / B.E.S.T. results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 58.7% | 52.3% |
| 2023-24 | 53.0% | 56.5% |
% 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
54.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
54.9%
based on FL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-0.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 54% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 55% 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 LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL
LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL's state test result (54.0% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL this school | 1,118 | 52.4% | 54.0% |
| CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOL WEST MELBOURNE | 1,059 | 53.1% | 51.0% |
| RIVER SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL ORANGE CITY | 1,218 | 50.4% | 47.4% |
| DELAND MIDDLE SCHOOL DELAND | 1,059 | 53.6% | 46.4% |
| POWELL MIDDLE SCHOOL BROOKSVILLE | 1,041 | 52.6% | 51.1% |
| TUSKAWILLA MIDDLE SCHOOL OVIEDO | 1,060 | 49.9% | 58.3% |
Matched among Florida middle 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 LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Florida | In Polk County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 54.0% | #270 of 560 | #9 of 24 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 52.3% | #344 of 560 ▼ 92 | #10 of 24 ▼ 4 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 58.7% | #210 of 560 ▲ 11 | #6 of 24 ▲ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,118 | #88 of 584 | #3 of 26 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.3:1 | #197 of 547 | #2 of 24 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 65.1% | #158 of 553 | #13 of 24 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 52.4% | #267 of 565 | #22 of 25 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -8.8% | #254 of 379 | #5 of 13 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
1,118
+1 (+0%) vs 2020
+8% since 1990-91, when it was 1,035
Student : Teacher
18.3:1
was 15.7:1
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 | 1,118 | 61 | 18.3:1 | 52% (586) |
| 2023-24 | 1,260 | 65 | 19.4:1 | 49% (619) |
| 2022-23 | 1,265 | 64 | 19.8:1 | 41% (513) |
| 2020-21 | 1,117 | 71 | 15.7:1 | 36% (397) |
| 2017-18 | 1,226 | 66 | 18.6:1 | 41% (505) |
| 2015-16 | 1,211 | 66 | 18.4:1 | 49% (595) |
| 2010-11 | 1,332 | 79 | 16.9:1 | 44% (590) |
| 2000-01 | 1,032 | 59 | 17.5:1 | 23% (238) |
| 1990-91 | 1,035 | 57 | 18.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL.
About LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL
LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL is a medium-sized middle school in POLK, located in LAKELAND, Florida. The grade span is 6 through 8, and enrollment is 1,118 students. Average enrollment for middle schools in Florida is about 794, so this school runs 41% above that.
The district for LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL is POLK, with 163 schools and 116,552 students.
Enrollment at LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL is mixed, with White students the largest group at 49%. Other reported shares: 30% Hispanic, 15% Black, 3% Asian, and 3% multiracial. By the diversity index, LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL comes in at 65%.
With 61 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25, the ratio at LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL was 18.3:1. The 19.6:1 average for middle schools in Florida is higher than this school's figure. A measure often used for student poverty, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, stands at 52%. It compares with 65% for public schools in Polk County.
allk12 grades LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL a B-. The grade compares the school only with Florida public middle schools, because each state gives its own test.
Compared with Florida schools that have similar shares of low-income students, LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL's results are within a point of predicted: 54.0% against 54.9%.
Polk County census figures show that median household income is about $65,978, roughly 24% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 11%. LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL is among the 172 public schools in Polk County.
The closest public school, MEDULLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, is about 1.3 miles from LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. On state test proficiency, LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL ranks 5th in a group of 9 nearby schools.
The school is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000, according to its NCES locale (City: Mid-size).
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, enrollment moved from 1,117 to 1,118, a small change. The school's ratio rose from 15.7:1 to 18.3:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
Posts about school safety, transportation, and start times are welcome on this page. 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
- MEDULLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.3 mi · 488
- CARLTON PALMORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.4 mi · 402
- SCOTT LAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.5 mi · 735
- HIGHLANDS GROVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.9 mi · 691
- GEORGE W. JENKINS SENIOR HIGH2.3 mi · 2,469
- CLEVELAND COURT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL2.5 mi · 374
Frequently asked questions
About LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOLHow large is LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL?
LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL enrolls approximately 1,118 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL serve?
LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL serves grades 06-08.
How many students per teacher at LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL?
Approximately 18.3:1 students per teacher at LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL.
What is the racial breakdown of students at LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL?
At LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL, the student body is approximately 49% White, 30% Hispanic, 15% Black, 3% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Is LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL public or private?
LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE 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.