Lee Today

There were 3,126 multiracial students enrolled in Polk County schools in the 2022-23 school year, a 4.2% increase from the 3,000 multiracial students in the previous school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Polk County welcomed a total of 114,483 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, multiracial students comprised 2.7% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 159 schools in Polk County, Lakeland Senior High School recorded the highest enrollment of multiracial students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 77 students, making up 3.8% of the school's total student body.

In 2022, Florida had more than 2.8 million students enrolled in its 4,202 schools. There were 163,558 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 17 students, compared to the national average of 1:16.

Private school enrollment increased by more than 51,000 students in the 2021-22 school year, which was a notable rebound after the pandemic. In total, there were 416,084 students enrolled, marking the highest enrollment in private schools reported by the Florida Department of Education in 30 years.

According to WalletHub's analysis, Florida is ranked ninth out of 50 states in terms of its public school quality and safety.

School name	% of multiracial Students Enrolment	Total Enrollment
Ridge Community High School	0.4	2,711
Haines City Senior High School	1.2	2,700
Winter Haven Senior High School	2	2,467
George W. Jenkins Senior High School	2.8	2,451
Davenport High School	2.1	2,333
Bartow Senior High School	2.2	2,125
Lake Gibson Senior High School	2.7	2,080
Kathleen Senior High School	2	2,051
Lakeland Senior High School	3.8	2,043
Auburndale Senior High School	3.2	1,716
Lake Wales Senior High School	1.6	1,586
Mulberry Senior High School	0.8	1,315
Lakeland Highlands Middle School	4.3	1,265
South McKeel Academy	1.9	1,200
Jere L. Stambaugh Middle School	2.2	1,127
Tenoroc High School	1.2	1,127
Sleepy Hill Middle School	3.4	1,090
Bartow Middle School	2.5	1,046
Lena Vista Elementary School	1.1	975
Crystal Lake Middle School	4	949
Discovery Academy of Lake Alfred	1.4	911
Walter Caldwell Elementary School	1.3	895
Westwood Middle School	1.3	878
Kathleen Middle School	1.2	821
Southwest Middle School	3	801
New Beginnings High School	1.5	753
Denison Middle School	1.4	738
Lawton Chiles Middle Academy	3.5	649
Clarence Boswell Elementary School	1.6	636
Lake Shipp Elementary School	1.6	628
Philip O'Brien Elementary School	1.9	627
Jewett Middle Academy Magnet	1.7	584
Highland City Elementary School	2.4	425