MULBERRY MIDDLE SCHOOL

MULBERRY MIDDLE SCHOOL, an average-sized 6-8 campus in MULBERRY, Florida, operated by POLK, hosts 1,058 students, covering grades 6 through 8. That puts it 33% bigger than the typical public school in Florida, which averages around 794 students.

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

On the student-mix side, MULBERRY MIDDLE SCHOOL reports that the largest single group is Hispanic at 52%, but no single group is in the majority. The remainder is composed of 37% White, 8% Black, 2% multiracial. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 29%.

On the resource side, On paper, MULBERRY MIDDLE SCHOOL has 46 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 23.0:1. The state averages around 19.6:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 74% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is noticeably above Polk County's rate of about 65%.

After controlling for student poverty, MULBERRY MIDDLE SCHOOL sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 44.0%; this one delivers 41.4%.

Zooming out to the county, Polk County reports that median household income runs about $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. Across Polk County's 172 public schools (combined enrollment of about 117,004 students), MULBERRY MIDDLE SCHOOL is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is PURCELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, roughly 0.6 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 6 other public schools cluster around MULBERRY MIDDLE SCHOOL. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts MULBERRY MIDDLE SCHOOL at 6th of 8; the average score across the group is 47.7%.

Geographically, the school is in a residential area.

Five-year trend. MULBERRY MIDDLE SCHOOL's enrollment has edged down 9% since 2018, when it stood at 1,160 (now 1,058). Over the same period, the Hispanic share ticked up from 42% to 52%. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 18.1:1 in 2018 to 23.0:1 today.

On the community side, members of the MULBERRY MIDDLE SCHOOL community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.