Enrollment
574
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lake Wales, FL
Spook Hill Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Spook Hill Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120159001776
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Spook Hill Elementary School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #5 of 7
- schools in Lake Wales · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.4:1
- students per teacher
- 67.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Spook Hill Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Spook Hill Elementary School ranks #5 of 7 schools in Lake Wales, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.3%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Spook Hill Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Spook Hill Elementary School
Spook Hill Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Lake Wales, Florida, enrolling 574 students.
At 16.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Florida median, within a few percentage points of the 17.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 67.3% of students eligible for free meals.
With 574 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Among 985 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #828, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (36%) and White (35%) (diversity index 68/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 574 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 62.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
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 Spook Hill Elementary 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 Spook Hill Elementary School compares
Spook Hill Elementary 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 | 16.4:1 | ▼ 8% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.3% | ▲ 29% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 574 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
574
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 29% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 49% in Florida - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
62.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 574 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 53 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.9 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
Hispanic or Latino 35.9%
White 35.4%
African American 25.3%
Two or More 2.8%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 35.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.1, Spook Hill Elementary School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk, which includes Spook Hill Elementary 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 Spook Hill Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haines City Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Davenport High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Winter Haven Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ridge Community High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| George W. Jenkins Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Spook Hill Elementary 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 other 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 (~574 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Spook Hill Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Spook Hill Elementary 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 Spook Hill Elementary School
How many students attend Spook Hill Elementary School?
Spook Hill Elementary School has 574 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lake Wales, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spook Hill Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Spook Hill Elementary School is 16.4:1, which is 8% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Spook Hill Elementary School?
67.3% of students at Spook Hill Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Spook Hill Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Spook Hill Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 35.9% of enrollment, in Lake Wales, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spook Hill Elementary School?
Spook Hill Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Spook Hill Elementary School rank among schools in Lake Wales?
By Resource Investment Index, Spook Hill Elementary School ranks #5 of 7 schools in Lake Wales, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Lake Wales on the city page.
Is Spook Hill Elementary School a good school?
Spook Hill Elementary School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median. 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 Spook Hill Elementary 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.