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Alternative public high school · Polk · Bartow, Florida

Polk County Sheriff's Central Center

Polk County Sheriff's Central Center rates 3.3 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.
3.3this school

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

#3,703 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

An alternative high school in Bartow, FL where students score 57 points below what's typical for similar communities.

Florida rates Polk County Sheriff's Central Center on learning gains, not on how many students test on grade level. Its 2025-26 School Improvement Rating is Maintaining. In reading, 71% of eligible students made learning gains, and in math, 63%; 79% of students were tested. Its previous rating was Maintaining, in 2018-19.

Polk County Sheriff's Central 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.

Math10%17 students tested · state average not published · 2009 EdFacts
Reading25%10 students tested · state average not published · 2019 EdFacts
Proficiency is up 15 points across the 11-year record (2009–2019) and has held near 25% recently.2009 EdFacts; 10 test records from FL state assessments and EdFacts (NCES).

What the rating is made of, each out of 10

Student Progress
4.4
25% of the rating
Academics
1.8
25% of the rating
College Readiness
4.8
30% of the rating
Resources & Environment
1.4
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, 2009–2024

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 10% (2009 EdFacts) · reading/ELA 23% (multi-year average, 2009-2019).

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 · 2009 EdFacts · Low confidence
  • Older source: 2009 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 · 2019 EdFacts · Low confidence
  • Older source: 2019 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 33830; 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 2009 EdFacts, multi-year average, 2009-2019; directory SY 2023–24

About our dataHow we calculate scores

The neighborhood

Where it sits, and what the area looks like.
Polk County Sheriff's Central Center 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
$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
10
Car-Dependent
Bike Score
38
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 byWalk Score

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.

Programs

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

Who goes here

Free or reduced lunch
8.3%
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 alternative schools within 15 miles, best rated first.
  1. Roosevelt Academy13.8 mi
    5.6Compare →
  2. Pace Center for Girls13.3 mi
    5.2Compare →
  3. Gause Academy of Leadership2.7 mi
    5.0Compare →
  4. Real Academy (reaching Every Adolescent Learner)11.8 mi
    4.8Compare →
  5. Maynard a Traviss Technical Academy9.1 mi
    4.1Compare →
  6. Polk County Sheriff's Central Centerthis school
    3.3
Five grade-compatible alternative schools using the same rating model sit within 15 miles, and five rate higher than Polk County Sheriff's Central Center.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 Polk County Sheriff's Central Center serve?

Polk County Sheriff's Central Center serves students in grades 7th through 12th.

How many students attend Polk County Sheriff's Central Center?

Polk County Sheriff's Central Center has an enrollment of approximately 36 students.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Polk County Sheriff's Central Center?

The student-teacher ratio at Polk County Sheriff's Central Center is 36:1. A lower ratio generally means more individual attention per student. The national average is approximately 16:1 for public schools.

How does Polk County Sheriff's Central Center rank in FL?

Polk County Sheriff's Central Center ranks #3,703 of 3,811 schools in FL.

What is Polk County Sheriff's Central Center's MySchoolScout rating?

Polk County Sheriff's Central Center has a current MySchoolScout rating of 3.3 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 Polk County Sheriff's Central Center on learning gains instead: its 2025-26 School Improvement Rating is Maintaining.

What are the test scores at Polk County Sheriff's Central Center?

Based on loaded state assessment records, Polk County Sheriff's Central Center has 10% math proficiency (2009 EdFacts) and 23% reading/ELA proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2019).

Is Polk County Sheriff's Central Center a charter school?

No, Polk County Sheriff's Central Center is not a charter school. It is an alternative public school.

Is Polk County Sheriff's Central Center a Title I school?

No, Polk County Sheriff's Central Center is not currently a Title I school.

What does the Free & Reduced Lunch percentage mean for Polk County Sheriff's Central Center?

8.3% of students at Polk County Sheriff's Central 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
7th – 12th
Enrollment
36
Student-teacher ratio
36:1
Teachers (FTE)
1
Type
Alternative
Title I
No
Florida School Improvement Rating
Maintaining (2025-26, on learning gains)
Setting
Fringe Rural
County
Polk County
Phone
(863) 519-3611
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
#150 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).

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.