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Polk County Public Schools students. | Kimberly C. Moore, LkldNow
3-minute read
Polk County’s children are at a disadvantage when it comes to learning, according to the latest Child Well-Being Index by the Florida Policy Institute.
The 2025 report ranked Polk County 60th among the state’s 67 counties for education — down from 56th last year and 57th a year prior.
However, a few miles east or west on Interstate 4, the trend was quite different.
The number of 3- and 4-year-olds attending preschool.
How many 4th-grade students are proficient in English Language Arts.
How many 8th-grade students are proficient in math.
The percentage of high school students graduating on time.
Change from baseline: The report compared recent statewide statistics for each indicator with an earlier baseline figure.
Some baseline measures, like students’ reading and math scores, were very recent — weighing 2023-2024 scores against 2022-2023 scores on the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking.
Others were broader and less current. Preschool enrollment looked at change over five years, comparing 2021 with 2016. On-time graduation rates compared 2022-2023 with the last pre-pandemic class: 2018-2019.
Polk County declined in each category except for 8th-grade math proficiency.
Polk County’s ranking for education dropped in the latest Child Well-Being Index, but Hillsborough and Orange counties’ rankings rose. The study compared recent performance against a baseline year. | Cindy Glover, LkldNow
New statistics suggest progress: Polk County’s preschool enrollment was 43.1% in 2023, according to preliminary data from the Census’s American Community Survey.
That’s an improvement over the 2021 figure of 38% that FPI used in the report, but still fewer than half of all 3- and 4-year-olds and lower than both Orange and Hillsborough counties.
There is a strong correlation between preschool attendance and later success in school.
Of the 7,815 students who entered kindergarten in Polk County schools last year, only 44% were “kindergarten-ready” based on a screening done in the first 30 days.
By contrast, 49.8% of Orange County students and 52% of Hillsborough County students were ready for kindergarten.
How to apply for free preschool in Polk County
Online applications are now open for free Head Start, voluntary pre-kindergarten (VPK) and special needs preschool programs in Polk County Public Schools.
Similarly, Polk County’s overall graduation rate improved last year to 88.6% from 83.8% — an achievement not yet factored into the FPI calculations. However, Polk still consistently trails Hillsborough and Orange counties.
‘Dedicated to improving outcomes’
Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Fred Heid said he was not familiar with the index and did not believe all of the information it used was complete, but he said Polk County has been steadily improving.
“I have found that Polk County as a whole is dedicated to improving outcomes for all of its residents,” Heid said.
“The level of collaboration and intentionality is there with better resources for early learning, food insecurity, mental and behavioral health and other areas. I believe we are seeing improvement both short-term and long-term in many areas.”
Insight Polk examines community conditions and solutions in six target areas from UCIndicators.org: economic & employment opportunity, education, housing, food security, transportation & infrastructure, and quality of life.
LkldNow’s Insight Polk independent reporting is made possible by the United Community Indicators Project with funding by GiveWell Community Foundation & United Way of Central Florida. All editorial decisions are made by LkldNow.
Cindy's reporting for LkldNow focuses on Lakeland city government. Previously, she was a crime reporter, City Hall reporter and chief political writer for newspapers including the Albuquerque Journal and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. She spent a year as a community engagement coordinator for the City of Lakeland before joining LkldNow in 2023. Reach her at cindy@lkldnow.com or 561-212-3429.
The Idiocracy grows stronger every day.