Enrollment
296
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Lakeland, FL
Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School
Federal NCES profile for Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 120159008246Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 70
📋 Attendance 94
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of Florida schools.
- #3 of 9
- high schools in Lakeland · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 42.3:1
- large classes for Florida
- 296
- students enrolled
Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School has class sizes larger than 98% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School ranks #3 of 9 high schools in Lakeland, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
42.3:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+138% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School
Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School is a mid-sized charter high school in Lakeland, Florida, enrolling 296 students.
Class loads run heavy: 42.3:1 is larger than about 98% of Florida schools and 138% above the 17.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 296 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 3,996 Florida schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (33%) and African American (31%) (diversity index 70/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 148 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 2.4% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Polk also operates Haines City Senior High School (3,105 students) and Davenport High School (2,731 students) alongside Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School compares
Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 42.3:1 | ▲ 138% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 296 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
42.3:1
Leaner classes than 0% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
296
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
42.3:1
students per teacher
- 138% above state mean
Top 98% in Florida - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
2.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$11,454
per pupil, district-wide
- above Florida avg of $11,167
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 148 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 33.1%
African American 31.4%
Hispanic or Latino 30.4%
Two or More 3.4%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 33.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.8, Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk, which includes Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School.
$11,454
Per student
+3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.2%
State 43.8%
Federal 21.0%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haines City Senior High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Davenport High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Winter Haven Senior High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ridge Community High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| George W. Jenkins Senior High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,105
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,731
- Students per teacher
- 32.1:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 2,648
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 2,632
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,469
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Florida, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~296 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School's federal record.
- Compare Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School against another school. Compare schools
- Polk's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School
How many students attend Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School?
Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School has 296 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lakeland, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School is 42.3:1, which is 138% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 169% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School?
The largest demographic group at Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School is White at 33.1% of enrollment, in Lakeland, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School?
Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School rank among high schools in Lakeland?
By Resource Investment Index, Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School ranks #3 of 9 high schools in Lakeland, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Lakeland on the city page.
Is Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School a good school?
Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of Florida schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Polk?
Besides Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School, Polk also operates Haines City Senior High School (3,105 students), Davenport High School (2,731 students), and Winter Haven Senior High School (2,648 students). See the Polk district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.