The brief
A Hardee alternative school where students score 28 points below what's typical for similar communities.
Florida rates Pioneer Career Academy on learning gains, not on how many students test on grade level. Its 2025-26 School Improvement Rating is Maintaining. In reading, 55% of eligible students made learning gains; 74% of students were tested. Florida has rated it Maintaining in each of its 6 ratings since the 2016-17 school year.
Pioneer Career Academy is listed in Hardee, and a district label does not verify attendance for an address: confirm the zoned campus with the district before you commit to a street.
- 202414%
- 2022–2023: no results on file
- 2021*25%
- 2020*25%
- 201925%
- 201825%
- 201725%
* 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 · 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 22% (multi-year average, 2009-2024) · reading/ELA 23% (multi-year average, 2009-2024).
- 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 · 2024 FAST · Low confidence
- Older source: 2024 FAST. 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 · 2024 FAST · Low confidence
- Older source: 2024 FAST. 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 33873; 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, 2009-2024; directory SY 2023–24
The neighborhood
Where it sits, and what the area looks like.The area
- Median income
- $51,311
- Median home value
- $128,500
- Median rent
- $944/mo
- College educated
- 14.2%
- Homeownership
- 70.1%
- Poverty rate
- 27.3%
U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates for the ZCTA associated with school ZIP 33873; this is area context, not an attendance boundary.
Getting around
- Walk Score
- 35
- Car-Dependent
- Bike Score
- 43
- Somewhat Bikeable
Walk, transit and bike scores by
Programs and who goes here
What the campus offers, and who it enrolls.Programs
- Advanced STEM courses
- 1 of 5
- Algebra II, Advanced Math, Calculus, Chemistry, Physics · CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22
Who goes here
- Free or reduced lunch
- 90.9%
- 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 Pioneer Career Academy serve?
Pioneer Career Academy serves students in grades 5th through 12th.
How many students attend Pioneer Career Academy?
Pioneer Career Academy has an enrollment of approximately 44 students.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Career Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Career Academy is 44:1. A lower ratio generally means more individual attention per student. The national average is approximately 16:1 for public schools.
How does Pioneer Career Academy rank in FL?
Pioneer Career Academy ranks #3,709 of 3,811 schools in FL.
What is Pioneer Career Academy's MySchoolScout rating?
Pioneer Career Academy has a current MySchoolScout rating of 3.2 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 Pioneer Career Academy on learning gains instead: its 2025-26 School Improvement Rating is Maintaining.
What are the test scores at Pioneer Career Academy?
Based on loaded state assessment records, Pioneer Career Academy has 22% math proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2024) and 23% reading/ELA proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2024).
Is Pioneer Career Academy a charter school?
No, Pioneer Career Academy is not a charter school. It is an alternative public school.
Is Pioneer Career Academy a Title I school?
No, Pioneer Career Academy is not currently a Title I school.
What does the Free & Reduced Lunch percentage mean for Pioneer Career Academy?
90.9% of students at Pioneer Career Academy 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
- 5th – 12th
- Enrollment
- 44
- Student-teacher ratio
- 44:1
- Teachers (FTE)
- 1
- Type
- Alternative
- Title I
- No
- Florida School Improvement Rating
- Maintaining (2025-26, on learning gains)
- Setting
- Distant Town
- County
- Hardee County
- Phone
- (863) 735-2300
- 4-year graduation
- 50%+
- 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
- #9 of 9
- Schools in district
- 11
- District spending per student
- $11,932
- NCES F-33 · FY 2023 · This annual source is three years behind the current year.
- District child poverty rate
- 22.7%
- Census SAIPE · 2024
- Area population (ZIP 33873)
- 14,162
- Area average commute
- 27 min
- Area median age
- 36.7
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.