Rochelle School of the Arts, Lakeland FL

Original Research by School Decision on Rochelle School of the Arts

Rochelle School of the Arts sits on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Lakeland, Florida, serving children from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade within the Polk County public school system. The arts focus is built into the school's identity from the name forward, making it a distinct option for families who want that woven into daily school life rather than treated as an add-on. Program details were not available in the data we reviewed, so a parent interested in exactly how arts are integrated across grades would want to ask the school directly.

The student body is mid-sized for its grade span, drawing roughly equal shares of Black and white students, with Hispanic students making up a substantial portion as well. A meaningful share of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this school in a population that often faces greater economic pressure than the county's more affluent campuses. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not reported in the sources we had, so the depth of those support systems is something to explore with the school.

On state assessments, the picture is mixed and worth reading carefully. In the early elementary grades, math proficiency sits below the halfway mark, which is a real gap for families to weigh. ELA in those same grades runs a bit higher. As students move into the upper elementary and middle grades, the numbers climb in both subjects, with seventh grade showing the strongest results across both ELA and math. Science proficiency, tested at fifth and eighth grade, lands at moderate levels. Trend data over time was not available, so it is not possible to say whether performance is improving or holding steady. A parent may want to ask the school about its trajectory and what supports are in place for students who come in behind grade level.

The comparison data for Polk County involves only two districts, which is too small a set to draw meaningful positioning conclusions, so that framing has been left out here rather than overstated.

Housing near the school sits well below the statewide median home value, and below the national benchmark as well. The local market has seen a modest year-over-year price dip, while rents have been essentially flat. For families weighing affordability, this part of Lakeland offers a notably lower entry point than much of Florida. The rent-to-income ratio in the area runs at a manageable level relative to national norms. Context about Lakeland's character, employers, and growth patterns was not returned in the research we conducted, so that piece of the picture is absent here.

The district brief for Polk County did not surface confirmed recent changes relevant to parents, so that section has been left out rather than filled with speculation.

For a family whose child thrives when arts and academics share space, Rochelle School of the Arts offers a specific kind of school environment that most neighborhood schools do not. The academic results in the lower grades give pause and are worth a direct conversation with school leadership, particularly around reading and math foundations. The upper-grade results suggest students who stay through middle school reach comparatively stronger ground, which may reflect the school's culture of progression or the particular cohort that stays. Either way, the gap between early and later grades is a thread worth pulling.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 53% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 53%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 46% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 659%

School 59% · District 50% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 773%

School 73% · District 33% · ▲ 40 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

Grade 865%

School 65% · District 37% · ▲ 28 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 355%

School 55% · District 50% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 47% · ▲ 7 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 47% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 53% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 776%

School 76% · District 46% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 873%

School 73% · District 44% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Science

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 45% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 864%

School 64% · District 36% · ▲ 28 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

This schoolPOLK, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income44%Higher-income63%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income42%Higher-income65%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income48%Higher-income63%16 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income49%Higher-income77%28 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income71%Higher-income81%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income71%Higher-income74%2 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income31%Higher-income51%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income67%31 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income48%Higher-income66%18 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income43%Higher-income75%32 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income67%Higher-income81%14 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income67%Higher-income64%3 pp gap