Hardee County
Hardee County is a public school district based in Wauchula, Florida, serving 4,547 students in 11 schools. By enrollment it ranks #50 of the 66 Florida districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 25% of them. Its schools average 413 students each, fewer than the Florida median of 572. Its superintendent is Sonja M. Bennett. It spends about $9,797 per student on day-to-day operations, 7% less than the Florida median. It has roughly 17.2 students per teacher.
How Hardee County compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Hardee County | Florida median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $9,797 | $10,483 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $5,440 | $5,885 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $51.0 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $52.5 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 264 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 562 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 17.2 | 17.4 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 379 | 428 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The Florida median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Sonja M. Bennett
Source: Florida Department of Education, Superintendents, checked 2026-10-04. Report a change
In the news
0 stories matchedWe haven't matched any stories to Hardee County yet. Recent Florida coverage is on the Florida page.
Peer districts in Florida
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wakulla CountyCrawfordville | 5,138 | 15 | $10,058 | 17.7 | #47 |
| Baker CountyMacclenny | 4,763 | 10 | $9,400 | 16.3 | #48 |
| Gadsden CountyQuincy | 4,633 | 17 | $12,304 | 16.8 | #49 |
| Hardee CountyWauchula · this district | 4,547 | 11 | $9,797 | 17.2 | #50 |
| Desoto CountyArcadia | 4,155 | 8 | $11,269 | 17.8 | #51 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier Central School DistrictHamburg, NY | 4,549 | $17,160 | 10.9 |
| Saginaw Township Community SchoolsSaginaw, MI | 4,548 | $11,325 | 17.8 |
| Liberty Elementary District (4266)Buckeye, AZ | 4,547 | $7,847 | 19.0 |
| Grain Valley R-VGrain Valley, MO | 4,546 | $9,751 | 12.8 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-fl-hardee-county