South Mckeel Academy
Public elementary school, pre-kindergarten to grade 6 · Lakeland, Florida
South Mckeel Academy in Lakeland, Florida enrolled 1,200 students in 2024-25 with 69.0 full-time teachers, 17.4 students per teacher against the Florida elementary-school median of 15.8. It was not a Title I school in 2021-22; it takes part in the National School Lunch Program (2024-25). On the state tests, 71-75% of its students tested were proficient in reading in 2021-22 and 80% proficient in math in 2022-23 (Florida: 53% and 52.2%).
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 · Title I status CCD 2021-22 · method
Enrollment held steady from 2022-23 to 2024-25; full-time teachers rose 1%
1,200 students in 2022-23, 1,199 students in 2023-24, 1,200 students in 2024-25. Full-time teachers went from 68.0 to 69.0.
The numbers as a table
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 1,200 | 68.0 | 17.6 |
| 2023-24 | 1,199 | 65.0 | 18.4 |
| 2024-25 | 1,200 | 69.0 | 17.4 |
17.4 students per teacher, a higher ratio than 73 of every 100 Florida elementary schools
Among the 2,136 Florida elementary schools that reported teachers for 2024-25 the median is 15.8; the national median for elementary schools is 14.6. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; the comparison counts schools with a 2024-25 teacher count and a ratio from 3 to 99 (lower values are reporting errors).
One counselor per 1,141 students in 2021-22
In the 2021-22 civil rights collection South Mckeel Academy enrolled 1,141 students and had 1.0 counselor (full-time equivalent); it reported 4 out-of-school suspensions that year.
- Advanced Placement coursesNone
- Gifted and talented programYes
- Counselors (FTE)1.0, one per 1,141 of the 1,141 students enrolled in 2021-22
- Out-of-school suspensions4
- Chronically absent0.1% (2022-23)
Who attends
59.9% of students were White, 21.0% Hispanic, 8.6% Black in 2024-25.
- White59.9%
- Hispanic21.0%
- Black8.6%
- Asian5.5%
- Two or more races4.9%
- Pacific Islander0.1%
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22; chronic absenteeism from EDFacts 2022-23; every count and the counselor ratio are for that school year. Who attends: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, membership by race and ethnicity.
State test results, 2021-22 and 2022-23
The students tested at South Mckeel Academy scored proficient or above: 71-75% in reading in 2021-22 and 80% in math in 2022-23, against 53% in reading in 2021-22 and 52.2% in math in 2022-23 across Florida. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Florida, not across states. ED Data Express holds no district results after 2021-22, so the district column gives its 2021-22 figure. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.
| Subject and year | This school | Its district | Florida |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts, 2021-22 | 71‑75% | 44% | 53% |
| Math, 2022-23 | 80% | 45% (2021-22) | 52.2% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22 and 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express (2021-22 through the Data Rescue Project archive); for 2022-23 ED published math by school and reading only by state: ED shows school and district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Elementary schools in Lakeland
33 public elementary schools in Lakeland report 2024-25 enrollment; South Mckeel Academy is the largest.
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Mckeel Academy | 1,200 | 17.4 | 50.6% |
| R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School | 899 | 15.5 | 65.0% |
| Valleyview Elementary School | 783 | 15.1 | 41.4% |
| Wendell Watson Elementary School | 764 | 17.0 | 58.6% |
| Rochelle School of the Arts | 762 | 14.9 | 59.6% |
| Scott Lake Elementary School | 735 | 15.6 | 55.0% |
| Sleepy Hill Elementary School | 711 | 15.8 | 80.0% |
| Dr. Ne Roberts Elementary School | 697 | 20.5 | 72.9% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25.
What to look at next about South Mckeel Academy
- Oscar J. Pope Elementary SchoolThe nearest public elementary school, 0.6 miles away: 365 students, 19.2 per teacher (2024-25).0.6 mi
- Magnolia Montessori AcademyThe next nearest public elementary school, 1.2 miles away: 182 students, 11.4 per teacher (2024-25).1.2 mi
- Compare South Mckeel Academy with Oscar J. Pope Elementary SchoolStudents, teachers, meals, test results and who attends, side by side.
- How much Polk County Public Schools spends per student$11,747 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (U.S. $16,260), with its revenue sources and teacher pay.$11,747
- The largest public schools in FloridaSouth Mckeel Academy is the number 81 by size of 2,193 Florida elementary schools open in 2024-25.#81 of 2,193
- Florida schools by students per teacher17.4 students per teacher here against the Florida median of 15.8 for elementary schools.17.4:1
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (locations, enrollment, teachers); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23. Distances are straight lines between the schools' NCES coordinates, not travel routes.
Questions about South Mckeel Academy
How many students attend South Mckeel Academy?
1,200 in the 2024-25 school year, according to the NCES Common Core of Data; 1,200 in 2022-23. It is an elementary school in Lakeland, FL.What is the student-teacher ratio at South Mckeel Academy?
17.4 students per full-time teacher (2024-25); the Florida median for elementary schools is 15.8. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.Is South Mckeel Academy a Title I school?
South Mckeel Academy was not a Title I school in 2021-22, the last year NCES published school Title I status.How do students at South Mckeel Academy do on state tests?
The students tested at South Mckeel Academy scored proficient or above: 71-75% in reading in 2021-22 and 80% in math in 2022-23, against 53% in reading in 2021-22 and 52.2% in math in 2022-23 across Florida. Florida's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22 and 2022-23; ED publishes school results as ranges to protect small groups.What district is South Mckeel Academy in?
Polk County Public Schools, NCES district ID 1201590. The first seven digits of the school's NCES ID 120159005341 are the district's.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22 and 2022-23: reading and math proficiency for the school, its district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: Civil Rights Data Collection School-level files (AP, gifted, counselors, discipline) · 2021-22
District spending on the district page is from the NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23.