NCES CCD 2024-25 20 schools FL

Best-Resourced Schools in Winter Haven, FL

20 public K-12 schools in Winter Haven from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.

20 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.

The highest-ranked of Winter Haven's 20 public schools is Winter Haven Senior High School, scoring 34/100, against a city average of 32.9/100. Computed live across every Winter Haven campus reporting to NCES.

Every public school in Winter Haven, FL, ranked by Resource Investment Index.

20
Schools
12,718
Students
32.9/100
Avg Quality
23.2:1
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

How the Winter Haven Public-School Landscape Breaks Down

Winter Haven, FL enrolls 12,718 students across 20 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, 5 are charter schools, giving families genuine alternatives to the traditional neighbourhood assignment model. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 23.2:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 32.9/100. Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.

The most-resourced campus in Winter Haven on this index is Winter Haven Senior High School, at 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 2,648 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.

Winter Haven spans 1 district, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.

Winter Haven Senior High School accounts for 20.8% of all Winter Haven public-school enrollment

That concentration means Winter Haven-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade level: High. A dominant campus often anchors a city's program landscape and absorbs a disproportionate share of district capital and staffing decisions. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Winter Haven school enrollment varies 241× across entities

Winter Haven school enrollment ranges from 11 students (lowest) to 2,648 students (highest), a spread of 2,637 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape, a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Winter Haven has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 57.9% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch

free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Winter Haven operates only 1 school district — one of the single most consolidated governance structures in the country

Most Winter Haven school districts are a single unified district covering the whole city, a structural feature that simplifies inter-school comparison but concentrates policy authority, and the count here is near the floor observed nationally. Consolidation produces narrower variance because resources pool across a large population, but it can also mask intra-school district inequities — sub-school district differences within a single school district are not visible at this aggregation level. Consolidated systems typically rely more heavily on top-down funding formulas than on local revenue variability.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Winter Haven student-teacher ratio is 23.2:1 — high (typically associated with larger urban scale or staffing constraints that have widened the headcount gap)

student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe

Winter Haven has higher-than-average charter school authorisation eligibility — 25.0% of the population qualifies for charter-school enrollment options

charter-school enrollment options eligibility is the federal threshold for charter school authorisation funding allocations, established under the state-specific charter law. Eligibility here is approaching the 30% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 10% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

# School Score
1. Winter Haven Senior High School 34
2. Chain of Lakes Elementary School 32
3. New Beginnings High School 31
4. Fred G. Garner Elementary School 37
5. Jewett School of the Arts 45
6. Westwood Middle School 32
7. Denison Middle School 25
8. Garden Grove Elementary School 27
9. Lake Shipp Elementary School 23
10. Jewett Middle Academy Magnet 43
11. Elbert Elementary School 29
12. Frank E. Brigham Academy 43
13. Wahneta Elementary School 27
14. Inwood Elementary School 25
15. Chain of Lakes Collegiate High 36
16. Language & Literacy Academy for Learning 33
17. Cypress Junction Montessori 36
18. Hartridge Academy 32
19. Ridge Technical Academy 38
20. Ridge Teen Parent Program 30

Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Winter Haven

Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.

  1. 1 Chain of Lakes Elementary School 71.2/100
  2. 2 Lake Shipp Elementary School 70.6/100
  3. 3 Jewett Middle Academy Magnet 70.2/100
  4. 4 Winter Haven Senior High School 70.0/100
  5. 5 Garden Grove Elementary School 69.9/100

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best schools in Winter Haven, FL?

The highest-ranked school in Winter Haven is Winter Haven Senior High School with a quality score of 34/100. There are 20 public schools in Winter Haven with 12,718 total students.

How many schools are in Winter Haven, FL?

Winter Haven has 20 public schools with a total enrollment of 12,718 students. 5 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 23.2:1.

Other Cities in Florida

Side-by-side: Compare any two schools or districts in Florida →

Explore PlainSchools

Related Guides

Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.