MEDULLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

MEDULLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a primary school of small scale in LAKELAND, Florida, overseen by POLK, serveing 488 students in grades pre-K through 5.

POLK comprises 163 schools with combined enrollment of 116,552 students; MEDULLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is among them.

Demographically, MEDULLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL reports that the most-represented group is Hispanic (42%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Other groups include 28% White, 24% Black, 5% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 29% Hispanic, putting the school's mix noticeably more Hispanic than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 29 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 16.8:1 students per teacher. The state averages about 17.5:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Around 73% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Polk County runs at roughly 65%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully above the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, MEDULLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 44.6% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 43.1%.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for Polk County indicate median household earnings sit near $65,978, about 24% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. Across Polk County's 172 public schools (combined enrollment of about 117,004 students), MEDULLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: LAKELAND HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL, around 1.3 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), MEDULLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks 8th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 53.2%.

Geographically, the school is in a commuter-belt area.

Trend over the last 7 years. MEDULLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's enrollment has ticked down 28% since 2018, when it stood at 681 (now 488). Over the same period, the White share edged down from 38% to 28%. Class-load math has loosened: from 14.8:1 in 2018 to 16.8:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, members of the MEDULLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.