SANDHILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SANDHILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one of the sprawling K-5 schools in HAINES CITY, Florida, part of POLK, with 1,111 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 84% above the state mean of about 604.

POLK runs 163 schools in total, collectively educating 116,552 students. SANDHILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one of those campuses.

On demographics, SANDHILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL records that 59% of the student body identifies as Hispanic; the rest reads as 22% Black, 15% White, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Polk County as a whole is about 29% Hispanic, so the school skews considerably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, SANDHILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL has 59 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 18.8:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.5:1, putting SANDHILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 68% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

After controlling for student poverty, SANDHILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 46.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 35.1%.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Polk County) shows that the typical household earns roughly $65,978 per year, 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. Across Polk County's 172 public schools (combined enrollment of about 117,004 students), SANDHILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is DUNDEE RIDGE MIDDLE ACADEMY, roughly 2.8 miles away. 7 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts SANDHILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL at 5th of 8; the average score across the group is 43.3%.

Geographically, the school is in a small-town area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at SANDHILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL has climbed 18%, going from 942 students in 2018 to 1,111 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share contracted from 27% to 15%. Class-load math has rose: from 15.2:1 in 2018 to 18.8:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.