Education

Child care costs in Polk County are slightly under the statewide average and similar to child care costs in comparable counties such as Brevard and Pasco.

Source: County Health Data, Polk, FL, countyhealthrankings.org, 2025

Kindergarten readiness in Polk County is consistently below the state average. Students that do not demonstrate “kindergarten readiness” have a reduced chance of success acquiring necessary literacy and mathematics skills to graduate from high school.

Source: 2023-24 Polk School District Report Card, Florida Department of Education

How well do Polk County students perform on state standardized tests?

EOC assessments are computer-based assessments that measure student proficiency against Florida state academic standards for specific courses. These tests are designed to allow benchmarking of students against peers statewide and nationally in various subject matter.

A score of 3 is considered to be passing and reflects adequate knowledge of the course subject matter. A score of 4 is above average performance. A score of 5 is excellent and reflects a very high mastery of subject matter. Students that score a 1 or 2 are considered not to have learned course material on a level sufficient to pass the course.

As a whole, students in Polk County score lower than their counterparts statewide.  Polk County students are more likely to receive scores of 1 or 2, reflecting inadequate knowledge of course material.  Consequently, Polk students are less likely to receive a score of 4 or 5, demonstrating high level mastery of course material.

Source: 2024-25 Polk School District Report Card, Florida Department of Education

How well do Polk County students perform in high school?

In the 2019-2020 school year, Polk County’s graduation rate was 86.5%. Since then, Polk County’s graduation rate has been 82.2% or lower, while the statewide rate stayed relatively stable(89.7% in 2023-2024). The 2023-2024 graduation rate is more in line with graduation rates in Polk County prior to Covid-19. It is likely that the 2019-2020 spike in graduation rates is attributable to relaxed graduation standards caused by Covid-19 interruptions.

Source: 2023-24 Polk School District Report Card, Florida Department of Education

Are Polk County students pursuing Higher Education?

More than 50% of Florida high school graduates enroll in some type of post-secondary program. In Polk County, less than 40% of students enroll in a post-secondary program(37.1% in the 2021-22 school year). The lower post-secondary enrollment in Polk County may be due to lower average college entrance exam scores.

Source: 2023-24 Polk School District Report Card, Florida Department of Education

How are Polk County students scoring on the ACT?

The percentage of Polk County graduates that take the ACT has increased significantly since the 2020-21 school year. In the 2023-24 school year, 83% of Polk County students took the ACT. Those students scored below the statewide average on the ACT(17.6 for Polk County students v. 19.2 for Florida students).

Source: 2023-24 Polk School District Report Card, Florida Department of Education

How are Polk County students scoring on the SAT?

The percentage of Polk County graduates that take the SAT is well below the state average. SAT scores for Polk County graduates are consistently inline with statewide average scores.

Source: 2023-24 Polk School District Report Card, Florida Department of Education

36.1% of Polk County residents have completed a post-secondary degree, another 21.4% have completed some college, but did not attain a degree. Only 11.1% of Polk County residents have not earned a high school diploma or GED equivalency.

Source: American Community Survey, 5-yr estimates, Polk County, 2023

27% of Polk residents rate below a Basic Literacy Level(Level 2).  This represents an adult literacy rate below the state of Florida and significantly less than nearby comparable counties. Individuals reading below “Basic Literacy” struggle to read paragraphs, summarize information, and compare read information to outside knowledge.

Source: Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies(PIAAC)