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Special education public school · Polk · Lakeland, Florida

Doris A. Sanders Learning Center

Doris A. Sanders Learning Center rates 3.9 on our scale, which leans on how many students test on grade level; on Florida's learning-gains rating it is Maintaining.

Schools, 1 to 10This campus on our ten-point scale.
3.9this school

3.9 on a one-to-ten scale.

#3,581 of 3,811 schools in Florida · Florida School Improvement Rating 2025-26: Maintaining, on learning gains

The brief

A Polk school where students score 27 points below what's typical for similar communities.

Florida rates Doris A. Sanders Learning Center on learning gains, not on how many students test on grade level. Its 2025-26 School Improvement Rating is Maintaining, on 48% of possible points (Maintaining spans 26% to 49%). In reading, 53% of eligible students made learning gains, and in math, 43%; 96% of students were tested. Its previous rating was Maintaining, in 2024-25.

Doris A. Sanders Learning Center is listed in Polk, and a district label does not verify attendance for an address: confirm the zoned campus with the district before you commit to a street.

Math25%18 students tested · state average not published · 2022 EdFacts
Reading25%17 students tested · state average not published · 2022 EdFacts
Proficiency declined earlier in the 14-year record (2009–2022), then recovered 10 points since 2019, reaching 25% in 2022.2022 EdFacts; 25 test records from FL state assessments and EdFacts (NCES).

What the rating is made of, each out of 10

Student Progress
2.2
25% of the rating
Academics
2.4
25% of the rating
College Readiness
5.6
30% of the rating
Resources & Environment
5.4
20% of the rating

Academics is status: the share of students testing on grade level. Florida's School Improvement Rating counts learning gains instead, and Student Progress is our school-wide proficiency trend, not Florida's measure of each student's gains.

About this school's data1 correction under review · rating: low confidence · 7 sources, 2019–2024

Every number on this page comes from a published source with a stated period. Where a source is partial, aging, an estimate, or describes a surrounding area rather than the school, that limitation is named here.

Attendance data is under correction. This existing Resources & Environment score and overall rating may still reflect an unverified attendance input.

Full Profile · 4/4 metrics

Multi-year averages used by the rating model: math 27% (multi-year average, 2009-2022) · reading/ELA 27% (multi-year average, 2009-2022).

School directory (enrollment, grades, staff, contact)
NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) · SY 2023–24 · Medium confidence
  • Source period: SY 2023–24. A newer release may be available.
MySchoolScout rating and rank
MySchoolScout ranking model · Low confidence
  • Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
  • Derived as a weighted blend of the component scores shown in Academics from state assessment, EdFacts growth, and NCES resource records.
Math proficiency
State department of education · 2022 EdFacts · Low confidence
  • Older source: 2022 EdFacts. Use as historical context.
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived from source records rather than read directly from one field.
Reading/ELA proficiency
State department of education · 2022 EdFacts · Low confidence
  • Older source: 2022 EdFacts. Use as historical context.
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived from source records rather than read directly from one field.
Student progress (growth)
NCES EdFacts · Mixed source periods · Low confidence
  • Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived as the fitted year-over-year slope of proficiency from multi-year assessment records.
Neighborhood (income, housing, education)
U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates · Low confidence
  • Older source: ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates. Use as historical context.
  • Reported for the ZCTA for ZIP 33801; this does not measure the attendance area.
Programs (AP/IB, athletics, gifted)
CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22 · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Source period: SY 2021–22. A newer release may be available.

Evidence periods: Rating mixed/unknown input periods; assessments multi-year average, 2009-2022; directory SY 2023–24

The neighborhood

Where it sits, and what the area looks like.
Doris A. Sanders Learning Center and the 20 nearest schools, each pin colored by its score.Pins are locations, not attendance boundaries. Verify the enrollment path with the district.

The area

Median income
$49,210
Median home value
$138,700
Median rent
$1,100/mo
College educated
15.8%
Homeownership
50.2%
Poverty rate
22.8%

U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates for the ZCTA associated with school ZIP 33801; this is area context, not an attendance boundary.

Getting around

Walk Score
24
Car-Dependent
Bike Score
40
Somewhat Bikeable
City reported crime
1,900/100K
Reported Part-1 offenses (violent + property + arson) per 100,000 residents, from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program for Lakeland. This is a city-level reported-crime measure, not a school safety rating.

Walk, transit and bike scores byWalk Score

FBI Uniform Crime Reporting · 2025 · city context (Lakeland), not school-level safety or attendance eligibility. Source details

Source period: 2025. Freshness not available.

Programs and who goes here

What the campus offers, and who it enrolls.

Programs

Advanced STEM courses
3 of 5
Algebra II, Advanced Math, Calculus, Chemistry, Physics · CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22

Who goes here

Free or reduced lunch
64.3%
Students qualifying for federal meal assistance. Shown separately, never in the score.

NCES Common Core of Data (CCD).

Compare nearby

Grade-compatible schools using the same rating model.
Public-school ratings. Grade-compatible schools within 5 miles, best rated first.
  1. Achievement Academy3.1 mi · charter
    7.1Compare →
  2. 5.9Compare →
  3. 4.8Compare →
  4. 4.3Compare →
  5. Doris A. Sanders Learning Centerthis school
    3.9
  6. not ratedCompare →
Five grade-compatible schools using the same rating model sit within 5 miles, and four rate higher than Doris A. Sanders Learning Center among the rated peers.Public-school ratings. Straight-line distance from this campus. Pins are locations, not attendance boundaries; verify the enrollment path with the district.

Distance is proximity only; it is not attendance eligibility.

Enrollment path unverified: Potential public school; its attendance or application path has not been classified.

Charter · enrollment unverified: Potential charter option; enrollment requirements have not been verified.

The record

What is on file, and where each number came from.

Questions families ask

What grades does Doris A. Sanders Learning Center serve?

Doris A. Sanders Learning Center serves students in grades Pre-K through 12th.

How many students attend Doris A. Sanders Learning Center?

Doris A. Sanders Learning Center has an enrollment of approximately 84 students.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Doris A. Sanders Learning Center?

The student-teacher ratio at Doris A. Sanders Learning Center is 6.5:1. A lower ratio generally means more individual attention per student. The national average is approximately 16:1 for public schools.

How does Doris A. Sanders Learning Center rank in FL?

Doris A. Sanders Learning Center ranks #3,581 of 3,811 schools in FL.

What is Doris A. Sanders Learning Center's MySchoolScout rating?

Doris A. Sanders Learning Center has a current MySchoolScout rating of 3.9 out of 10. This score combines the level-appropriate components shown in the rating breakdown and leans on how many students test on grade level; equity data is shown separately for context. Florida rates Doris A. Sanders Learning Center on learning gains instead: its 2025-26 School Improvement Rating is Maintaining, on 48% of possible points (Maintaining spans 26% to 49%).

What are the test scores at Doris A. Sanders Learning Center?

Based on loaded state assessment records, Doris A. Sanders Learning Center has 27% math proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2022) and 27% reading/ELA proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2022).

Is Doris A. Sanders Learning Center a charter school?

No, Doris A. Sanders Learning Center is not a charter school. It is a traditional public school operated by the local school district.

Is Doris A. Sanders Learning Center a Title I school?

No, Doris A. Sanders Learning Center is not currently a Title I school.

What does the Free & Reduced Lunch percentage mean for Doris A. Sanders Learning Center?

64.3% of students at Doris A. Sanders Learning Center qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. This is a commonly used indicator of economic need and provides important context when interpreting test scores.

School facts

Grades
Pre-K – 12th
Enrollment
84
Student-teacher ratio
6.5:1
Teachers (FTE)
13
Type
Special_ed
Title I
No
Florida School Improvement Rating
Maintaining (2025-26, on learning gains)
Setting
Large Suburb
County
Polk County
4-year graduation
50%+
Class of 2023
Rank in district
#136 of 155
Schools in district
167
District spending per student
$11,242
NCES F-33 · FY 2023 · This annual source is three years behind the current year.
District child poverty rate
17.0%
Census SAIPE · 2024
Area population (ZIP 33801)
33,460
Area average commute
25.6 min
Area median age
33.4

NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) (SY 2023–24).

Related reading

Data from NCES Common Core of Data, Florida Dept. of Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.