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Alternative public high school · Polk · Lakeland, Florida

Pace Center for Girls

Pace Center for Girls rates 5.2 on our scale, which leans on how many students test on grade level; on Florida's learning-gains rating it is Maintaining.

High schools, 1 to 10This alternative campus against every public high school around it rated on verified state test data, not only alternative ones.
5.2this school

5.2 on a one-to-ten scale; the Polk median is 4.5.

#2,981 of 3,811 schools in Florida · Polk: 31 high schools rated, median 4.5 · Florida School Improvement Rating 2025-26: Maintaining, on learning gains

The brief

A Polk alternative high school where students score 32 points below what's typical for similar communities.

Florida rates Pace Center for Girls on learning gains, not on how many students test on grade level. Its 2025-26 School Improvement Rating is Maintaining, on 30% of possible points (Maintaining spans 26% to 49%). In reading, 42% of eligible students made learning gains, and in math, 18%; 82% of students were tested. Its previous rating was Commendable, in 2024-25.

Pace Center for Girls 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.

Math10%23 students tested · state average not published · 2021 EdFacts
Reading25%6 students tested · state average not published · 2022 EdFacts
Proficiency declined earlier in the 14-year record (2009–2022), then recovered 13 points since 2019, reaching 25% in 2022.2021 EdFacts; 26 test records from FL state assessments and EdFacts (NCES).

What the rating is made of, each out of 10

Student Progress
3.1
25% of the rating
Academics
2.1
25% of the rating
College Readiness
6.5
30% of the rating
Resources & Environment
9.5
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 11% (multi-year average, 2009-2021) · reading/ELA 20% (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 · 2021 EdFacts · Low confidence
  • Older source: 2021 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, 2009-2021, multi-year average, 2009-2022; directory SY 2023–24

About our dataHow we calculate scores

The neighborhood

Where it sits, and what the area looks like.
Pace Center for Girls and the 20 nearest high 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
50
Somewhat Walkable
Bike Score
84
Very 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
2 of 5
Algebra II, Advanced Math, Calculus, Chemistry, Physics · CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22
Gifted and talented
Available
A program for qualifying students · CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22

Who goes here

Free or reduced lunch
70.2%
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 alternative schools within 15 miles, best rated first.
  1. Pace Center for Girlsthis school
    5.2
  2. Gause Academy of Leadership11.1 mi
    5.0Compare →
  3. Real Academy (reaching Every Adolescent Learner)1.9 mi
    4.8Compare →
  4. Maynard a Traviss Technical Academy4.3 mi
    4.1Compare →
  5. Simmons Career Center12.2 mi
    3.5Compare →
  6. Polk County Sheriff's Central Center13.3 mi
    3.3Compare →
Five grade-compatible alternative schools using the same rating model sit within 15 miles, and none rates higher than Pace Center for Girls.Public-school ratings. Alternative schools only, which are few, so the distance reaches 15 miles. 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.

The record

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

Questions families ask

What grades does Pace Center for Girls serve?

Pace Center for Girls serves students in grades 6th through 12th.

How many students attend Pace Center for Girls?

Pace Center for Girls has an enrollment of approximately 57 students.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Pace Center for Girls?

The student-teacher ratio at Pace Center for Girls is 11.4:1. A lower ratio generally means more individual attention per student. The national average is approximately 16:1 for public schools.

How does Pace Center for Girls rank in FL?

Pace Center for Girls ranks #2,981 of 3,811 schools in FL.

What is Pace Center for Girls's MySchoolScout rating?

Pace Center for Girls has a current MySchoolScout rating of 5.2 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 Pace Center for Girls on learning gains instead: its 2025-26 School Improvement Rating is Maintaining, on 30% of possible points (Maintaining spans 26% to 49%).

What are the test scores at Pace Center for Girls?

Based on loaded state assessment records, Pace Center for Girls has 11% math proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2021) and 20% reading/ELA proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2022).

Is Pace Center for Girls a charter school?

No, Pace Center for Girls is not a charter school. It is an alternative public school.

Is Pace Center for Girls a Title I school?

No, Pace Center for Girls is not currently a Title I school.

What does the Free & Reduced Lunch percentage mean for Pace Center for Girls?

70.2% of students at Pace Center for Girls 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
57
Student-teacher ratio
11.4:1
Teachers (FTE)
5
Type
Alternative
Title I
No
Florida School Improvement Rating
Maintaining (2025-26, on learning gains)
Setting
Midsize City
County
Polk County
Phone
(863) 688-5596
Rank in district
#88 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).

Sources and official links

Keep exploring

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.