The brief
A Polk alternative high school where students score 21 points below what's typical for similar communities.
Florida rates Gause Academy of Leadership on learning gains, not on how many students test on grade level. Its 2025-26 School Improvement Rating is Commendable, on 51% of possible points (Commendable starts at 50%). In reading, 47% of eligible students made learning gains, and in math, 54%; 92% of students were tested. Its previous rating was Commendable, in 2024-25.
Gause Academy of Leadership 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.
- 202621%
- 202514%
- 202421%
- 2023: no results on file
- 202222%
- 2021*7%
- 2020*7%
* A COVID-affected year: test participation was uneven nationwide, so the model weights it at half.
About this school's data1 correction under review · rating: low confidence · 6 sources, 2019–2026
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 9% (multi-year average, 2009-2026) · reading/ELA 18% (multi-year average, 2009-2026).
- 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 · 2026 FAST · Medium confidence
- 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 · 2026 FAST · Medium confidence
- 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)
- State assessments · 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 33830; this does not measure the attendance area.
Evidence periods: Rating mixed/unknown input periods; assessments multi-year average, 2009-2026; directory SY 2023–24
The neighborhood
Where it sits, and what the area looks like.The area
- Median income
- $62,636
- Median home value
- $207,900
- Median rent
- $1,017/mo
- College educated
- 18.4%
- Homeownership
- 68.5%
- Poverty rate
- 18.3%
U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates for the ZCTA associated with school ZIP 33830; this is area context, not an attendance boundary.
Getting around
- Walk Score
- 15
- Car-Dependent
- Bike Score
- 42
- Somewhat Bikeable
- City reported crime
- 1,371/100K
- Reported Part-1 offenses (violent + property + arson) per 100,000 residents, from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program for Bartow. This is a city-level reported-crime measure, not a school safety rating.
Walk, transit and bike scores by
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting · 2025 · city context (Bartow), 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.Who goes here
- Free or reduced lunch
- 89%
- 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.Distance is proximity only; it is not attendance eligibility.
Enrollment path unverified: Potential public school; its attendance or application path has not been classified.
The record
What is on file, and where each number came from.Questions families ask
What grades does Gause Academy of Leadership serve?
Gause Academy of Leadership serves students in grades 6th through 12th.
How many students attend Gause Academy of Leadership?
Gause Academy of Leadership has an enrollment of approximately 82 students.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gause Academy of Leadership?
The student-teacher ratio at Gause Academy of Leadership is 5.1:1. A lower ratio generally means more individual attention per student. The national average is approximately 16:1 for public schools.
How does Gause Academy of Leadership rank in FL?
Gause Academy of Leadership ranks #3,096 of 3,811 schools in FL.
What is Gause Academy of Leadership's MySchoolScout rating?
Gause Academy of Leadership has a current MySchoolScout rating of 5.0 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 Gause Academy of Leadership on learning gains instead: its 2025-26 School Improvement Rating is Commendable, on 51% of possible points (Commendable starts at 50%).
What are the test scores at Gause Academy of Leadership?
Based on loaded state assessment records, Gause Academy of Leadership has 9% math proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2026) and 18% reading/ELA proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2026).
Is Gause Academy of Leadership a charter school?
No, Gause Academy of Leadership is not a charter school. It is an alternative public school.
Is Gause Academy of Leadership a Title I school?
No, Gause Academy of Leadership is not currently a Title I school.
What does the Free & Reduced Lunch percentage mean for Gause Academy of Leadership?
89.0% of students at Gause Academy of Leadership 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
- 6th – 12th
- Enrollment
- 82
- Student-teacher ratio
- 5.1:1
- Teachers (FTE)
- 16
- Type
- Alternative
- Title I
- No
- Florida School Improvement Rating
- Commendable (2025-26, on learning gains)
- Setting
- Fringe Town
- County
- Polk County
- Phone
- (863) 534-7425
- 4-year graduation
- 40–59%
- Federal four-year cohort rate, class of 2023 (EdFacts). Counts students who need more than four years, common where students arrive mid-year and behind on credits, as not graduating.
- Rank in district
- #95 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 33830)
- 32,738
- Area average commute
- 27.9 min
- Area median age
- 36.2
NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) (SY 2023–24).
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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.