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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
479
Elementary
DISTRICT 641 · STATE 604
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·POLK·NCES 120159005342
PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
315 PALMETTO ST, POINCIANA, FL 34759 · (863) 427-6012 · Polk County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY23-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL479 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 11% of Florida public elementary schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats 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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
19.2:1
25 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.3:1 · STATE 17.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
74%
353 students
DISTRICT 65% · STATE 50%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 19 | 4% |
| Kindergarten | 69 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 73 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 70 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 96 | 20% |
| Grade 4 | 73 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 79 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (69) is 13% smaller than its 5th grade class (79).
Student demographics
50%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
36.6%
FL avg 56.7% . -1.0pp since 2023
Math
31.2%
FL avg 58.9% . -5.6pp since 2023
What this means: On the FAST / B.E.S.T., Florida's statewide test, about 37 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 31 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Florida schools, those numbers are about 57 and 59. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2023, while math scores are down about 6 points.
FAST / B.E.S.T. results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 36.6% | 31.2% |
| 2023-24 | 37.6% | 36.8% |
% 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
36.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
44.2%
based on FL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.4pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 37% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 44% 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 PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's state test result (36.8% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL this school | 479 | 73.7% | 36.8% |
| DEERWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KISSIMMEE | 422 | 73.5% | 37.9% |
| CLAIR-MEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TAMPA | 536 | 77.2% | 30.7% |
| G D ROGERS GARDEN- BULLOCK ELEMENTARY BRADENTON | 472 | 75.0% | 26.4% |
| BING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TAMPA | 480 | 70.8% | 30.8% |
| RODNEY B. COX ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DADE CITY | 399 | 75.4% | 34.0% |
Matched among Florida elementary 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 PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Florida | In Polk County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 36.8% | #1,921 of 2,136 | #74 of 85 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 31.2% | #2,092 of 2,149 ▼ 159 | #83 of 86 ▼ 12 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 36.6% | #1,901 of 2,149 ▼ 150 | #73 of 86 ▼ 4 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 479 | #1,502 of 2,267 | #63 of 89 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 19.2:1 | #1,857 of 2,077 | #65 of 85 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 50.4% | #1,352 of 2,108 | #80 of 85 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 73.7% | #311 of 2,188 | #37 of 88 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -13.1% | #792 of 1,374 | #11 of 39 |
Ranked against other public elementary 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
479
-69 (-13%) vs 2020
-40% since 2010-11, when it was 795
Student : Teacher
19.2:1
was 14.4:1
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 | 479 | 25 | 19.2:1 | 74% (353) |
| 2023-24 | 473 | 29 | 16.3:1 | 74% (348) |
| 2022-23 | 513 | 34 | 15.1:1 | 52% (266) |
| 2020-21 | 548 | 38 | 14.4:1 | 74% (403) |
| 2017-18 | 551 | 42 | 13.1:1 | 73% (400) |
| 2015-16 | 726 | 51 | 14.2:1 | 75% (543) |
| 2010-11 | 795 | 57 | 13.9:1 | 81% (643) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
About PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
This page covers PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, a small elementary school in POINCIANA, Florida. Enrollment is 479 students in 2024-25, and the school serves pre-K through 5. Against the 604-student average for elementary schools in Florida, enrollment here is 21% lower.
POLK is the local district for PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. It runs 163 schools with 116,552 students.
Roughly 66% of students at PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL are Hispanic. Other reported shares: 25% Black, 7% White, and 2% multiracial. Polk County's residents are about 29% Hispanic, 36 points below the school's share. The school's diversity index is 50%, meaning two students picked at random have a 50% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Federal staffing data show 25 full-time-equivalent teachers at PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL and a ratio of 19.2:1. This ratio sits 1.7 above the 17.5:1 average for elementary schools in Florida. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility covers 74% of students. The gap from the 65% average for public schools in Polk County is 9 points.
The allk12 Grade for PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is D. Compared with Florida public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 11% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
On the allk12 BeatsExpectations measure, PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is 7.4 points below the average proficiency rate on state tests predicted for its free or reduced-price lunch share: 36.8% actual, 44.2% predicted. That is outside both the top and bottom 10% in Florida.
In Polk County (population about 790,694), the median household income is $65,978, roughly 24% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 11%. There are 172 public schools in Polk County, enrolling about 117,004 students in all.
The nearest public school is CHESTNUT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, at about 0.4 miles. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL places 5th of 9 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
The school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population under 100,000, according to its NCES locale (Suburb: Small).
Enrollment is down 13% from 2020-21, when PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL had 548 students, to 2024-25, when it had 479. Its ratio of students to teachers was 14.4:1 in 2020-21, and 19.2:1 in 2024-25.
To ask about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs, start a discussion on this page. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
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 POINCIANA
- LAUREL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 1,126 students
- LAKE MARION CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 1,013 students
Other Palmetto Elementary schools
9 other US public schools in 5 states are named Palmetto Elementary. PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is the 8th largest of the 10.
- PALMETTO ELEMENTARYORLANDO, FL · 1,006 students
- PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLMIAMI, FL · 654 students
- PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLNAPLES, FL · 645 students
- PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLPALMETTO, FL · 519 students
- PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLWEST PALM BEACH, FL · 508 students
Nearby schools
- CHESTNUT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING0.4 mi · 729
- NEW DIMENSIONS HIGH SCHOOL2.0 mi · 445
- LAUREL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL3.1 mi · 1,126
- BRIDGEPREP ACADEMY OSCEOLA COUNTY3.2 mi · 837
- KOA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL3.3 mi · 714
- LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL3.6 mi · 1,362
Frequently asked questions
About PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLHow many students attend PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL enrolls approximately 479 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serve?
PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
The student-to-teacher ratio at PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is approximately 19.2:1 (25 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
Student demographics at PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL are roughly 7% White, 66% Hispanic, 25% Black, 0% Asian, 2% Two or more.
What district is PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL in?
PALMETTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is part of POLK.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.