The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in Math. The lowest is 45% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Fred Wild Elementary School
Fred Wild Elementary sits on Youth Care Lane in Sebring, serving prekindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Highlands County School District. The school draws a large enrollment for its grade band, and its student body reflects Sebring's demographic mix, with Hispanic students forming the largest single group, followed by white and Black students, and smaller multiracial and other populations. The economic profile is pronounced: nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places Fred Wild at the higher-need end among Florida elementary schools. Data on English learner and special education populations were not available in this dataset.
On Florida's FAST assessments, the picture across grades three through five is one of below-average proficiency by statewide standards. Math results are stronger than reading at every tested grade, with third graders showing the best math performance in the school, while fourth and fifth graders land near the midpoint of the state distribution. ELA results are lower still, hovering in the low-to-mid range across all three tested grades. The fifth-grade science assessment shows roughly similar results to ELA. These figures tell a parent that the majority of students at Fred Wild are not yet meeting the state's proficiency benchmarks, particularly in reading. A parent who wants to understand whether specific grade-level or subgroup trends explain this pattern, or what the school's instructional response looks like, would benefit from a direct conversation with school leadership.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to characterize whether performance has been improving, declining, or holding steady. Graduation rate and chronic absenteeism data do not apply here, the first because Fred Wild does not serve high school grades, and the second because that measure was not reported in the available data. Program information for this school was not provided.
The district context matters for families thinking long-term. Highlands County voters approved a half-cent sales tax dedicated to student safety and academic programs, overseen by a citizen advisory committee that meets regularly, which provides a local funding cushion beyond state allocations. At the same time, the district is publicly managing significant budget pressure: a proposed round of cuts affecting roughly two dozen district-level positions, driven by state dollars increasingly directed toward private-school vouchers, has prompted multiple budget workshops. Publicly reported coverage from WGCU News frames this as part of a statewide trend that Highlands County is navigating acutely. Families should be aware that this fiscal environment is likely to affect staffing and programs at the school level over the coming years.
Sebring itself is a small central-Florida city with a recognizable character. The downtown is built around Circle Park, a planned circular green space from which avenues radiate outward toward Lake Jackson, lined with historic masonry storefronts, restaurants, and the Circle Theatre. That core is genuinely walkable. Beyond it, the city runs along US 27 in a more auto-oriented pattern, so daily life outside the downtown depends on a car. The economy leans on healthcare, education, local government, and retail, with the school district itself among the county's largest employers. Highlands Hammock State Park, one of Florida's oldest, lies a short drive west and offers trails, a cypress-swamp boardwalk, and a CCC museum. Lake Jackson fronts the downtown and adds outdoor recreation to the civic picture.
The housing market near Fred Wild is notably more affordable than the Florida average, with typical home values well below the statewide figure, though affordability relative to local incomes is still stretched. Rents have edged slightly lower over the past year. The area is in an active construction phase: new subdivisions are coming in, building permit activity roughly doubled in the first half of 2025 compared to a year earlier, and outside attention arrived when Sebring hosted HGTV's "Hometown Takeover" in spring 2025. For a family relocating to Sebring, this combination of lower entry prices and visible growth activity is worth factoring in alongside the school's current academic performance.
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