Polk County Public Schools

Polk County: an “All-America County" In 2007 Polk County was selected as an “All-America County” by the National Civic League. This recognition symbolizes the collective dreams of our residents to have a great place to live as well as raise their families. Since 1949 about 500 communities of all sizes (cities, towns, counties, neighborhoods and regions) have earned this distinguished title. Polk County is located in the “Heart of Florida”. We are halfway between Tampa and Orlando and 200 miles from the Georgia border. Our population is a little over .5 million people but over 8.5 million people live in a 100-mile radius of Lakeland. Our residents live in 17 small cities and towns where friendliness and Southern Hospitality are a way of life. Lakeland is our largest city of around 90,000 people. Our next largest city is Winter Haven of about 28,000 people. We have 17 different cities and towns. Our land mass is bigger than the state of Rhode Island. Approximately 40% of our residents are under the age of 25. Our ethnic composition mirrors the nation with 80% white, 14% Black and 12% Hispanic. Our cost of living is in the lower half of the state. Affordable Housing is often half as expensive as housing found in other areas of Florida (see Housing in Polk County). Polk County residents have no state or county income taxes. Our green landscape is dotted with more than 600 spring-fed lakes where boating, water-skiing and fishing are popular activities. There are over 50,000 acres of public parkland in Polk County. Local attractions, such as Cypress Gardens, Fantasy of Flight, Polk Theatre, Museum of Art, Bok Sanctuary, Water Ski Hall of Fame as well as several top rated Golf Courses give our residents a wide variety of options to relax. Polk County offers various Outdoor Recreation opportunities for Fishing, Boating, Cycling, Hunting and Observing Nature.

The mission of the Polk County School District is to ensure rigorous, relevant learning experiences for our students that result in high achievement. About our district: Polk County School District is the 8th largest in Florida and 31st largest in the United States. Polk has 163 school sites and centers including 66 elementary, 4 elementary/middle, 7 elementary/middle/high, 18 middle, 3 middle/high, 18 high, 2 technical career centers, 2 adult, 11 alternative education, 24 charters, 5 Department of Juvenile Justice sites, and 3 off-campus Head Start sites. More than 94,000 students are enrolled, with a diverse student body. The district is the largest employer in Polk County with over 13,000 employees. More than half of those are employed as teachers.

The Polk County Public School System is an equal opportunity employer. Discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability or veteran’s status is prohibited.