HARDEE

WAUCHULA, Florida — 9 schools

4,901
Total Enrollment
9
Schools
$11,569
Per-Pupil Spending
Other, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

HARDEE operates 9 public schools serving 4,901 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Florida. The school portfolio breaks down into 8 other, 1 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 4,547 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Hardee County County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,569 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 23.6% local, 50.7% state, and 25.8% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $56,767 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 52/100, ranked #28 of 67 in Florida against a state average of 51 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.

Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 9 schools offering Advanced Placement (7 AP courses district-wide), a 441.6:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 50.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 59.6% Hispanic or Latino, 31.9% White, 5.8% African American across the district's schools.

Hardee Senior High School accounts for 29.6% of all HARDEE student enrollment

That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means HARDEE-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. 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

HARDEE school enrollment varies 50× across entities

HARDEE school enrollment ranges from 27 students (lowest) to 1,347 students (highest), a spread of 1,320 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity — the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

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

HARDEE has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 67.7% 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

HARDEE student-counselor ratio is 442:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment — districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

HARDEE chronic absenteeism rate is 50.6% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason — illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

25.8%
Federal
50.7%
State
23.6%
Local

Funding Equity

52
Equity Score
28 / 67
State Rank
51
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Local Rent Costs

Fair Market Rents in Hardee County county, where this district is located.

$1,058
Studio/mo
$1,064
1 BR/mo
$1,248
2 BR/mo
$1,691
3 BR/mo
$2,094
4 BR/mo

Average Teacher Salary

$56,767
Average annual teacher salary

Source: NCES CCD F-33 (Finance Survey).

Teacher salary data from NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 9 schools in HARDEE.

White 31.9%
Hispanic or Latino 59.6%
African American 5.8%
Multiracial 2.0%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Programs & Resources

2 / 9
Schools with AP
7 AP courses total
441.6:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
50.6%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in HARDEE

School Enrollment
Hardee Senior High School
1,347
Hardee Junior High School
958
Wauchula Elementary School
577
North Wauchula Elementary School
516
Zolfo Springs Elementary School
512
Hilltop Elementary School
298
Bowling Green Elementary School
260
Hardee Virtual Franchise
52
Pioneer Career Academy
27

Nearby Districts in Florida

Top districts in the same state — compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

MIAMI-DADE
334,090 students · 542 schools · $13,577/pupil
Compare vs HARDEE →
BROWARD
254,732 students · 329 schools · $13,387/pupil
Compare vs HARDEE →
HILLSBOROUGH
224,538 students · 309 schools · $11,744/pupil
Compare vs HARDEE →
ORANGE
207,561 students · 276 schools · $13,040/pupil
Compare vs HARDEE →
PALM BEACH
188,843 students · 234 schools · $14,596/pupil
Compare vs HARDEE →

Compare HARDEE

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs MIAMI-DADE →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in HARDEE?

HARDEE has 9 schools, including 1 high, 8 other. Total enrollment is 4,901 students.

How much does HARDEE spend per student?

HARDEE spends $11,569 per student. The district has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #28 in Florida.

What is the average teacher salary in HARDEE?

The average teacher salary in HARDEE is $56,767 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.

What is the average rent near HARDEE?

The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Hardee County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.

What is the demographic composition of HARDEE?

HARDEE students are 59.6% Hispanic or Latino, 31.9% White, 5.8% African American, 0.5% Asian, averaged across 9 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for HARDEE?

HARDEE has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #28 out of 67 districts in Florida. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.

Federal data Last updated 2026 Free public data

Coverage

50 states + DC

Full national footprint

Update cadence

Quarterly

Refreshed within 30 days of upstream release

Source agency

Federal

Authoritative data, no third-party aggregation

Page reliability score 94.0%
Industry baseline

Composite score weighing source authority, update freshness, and methodological transparency. 1.0 = full federal-source coverage with documented methodology and recent update.