Leadership
District profile / Florida
Polk County Public Schools
111,372
Students
2024-25 school year
165
Schools
2024-25 school year
$10,587
Spending per student
FY2020-21 · about the same as the Florida median
19.3
Students per teacher
2024-25 · Florida median 17.4
Polk County Public Schools is a public school district based in Bartow, Florida, serving 111,372 students in 165 schools. By enrollment it ranks #7 of the 66 Florida districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 91% of them. Its schools average 675 students each, more than the Florida median of 572. Its superintendent is Frederick Heid. It spends about $10,587 per student on day-to-day operations, about the state median. It has roughly 19.3 students per teacher. We've matched 2 news stories to the district.
How Polk County compares
Polk CountyFlorida median, districts with 1,000+ students
Spending and staffing
Where the money comes from$1.19 billion in revenue · FY2020-21
Federal 15%State 53%Local 32%
| Measure | Polk County | Florida median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $10,587 | $10,483 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $6,845 | $5,885 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $1.30 billion | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $1.19 billion | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 5,761 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 13,689 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 19.3 | 17.4 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 428 | 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 →Frederick Heid
Source: Florida Department of Education, Superintendents, checked 2026-10-04. Report a change
In the news
2 stories matchedPeer districts in Florida
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duval County Public SchoolsJacksonville | 130,054 | 203 | $10,097 | 19.1 | #6 |
| Polk County Public SchoolsBartow · this district | 111,372 | 165 | $10,587 | 19.3 | #7 |
| School District of Lee CountyFort Myers | 102,506 | 119 | $9,815 | 20.5 | #8 |
| Pinellas County SchoolsLargo | 87,876 | 153 | $11,039 | 15.9 | #9 |
| Pasco County SchoolsLand O Lakes | 86,627 | 107 | $9,523 | 16.7 | #10 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cypress-Fairbanks ISDCypress, TX | 117,927 | $10,081 | 15.4 |
| Memphis-Shelby County SchoolsMemphis, TN | 111,124 | $10,862 | n/a |
| Baltimore County Public SchoolsTowson, MD | 110,024 | $15,624 | 15.0 |
| Cobb CountyMarietta, GA | 105,738 | $11,902 | 14.1 |
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-polk-county-public-schools