The top reported proficiency rate is 82% in Math. The lowest is 65% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Hartridge Academy
Hartridge Academy is a small charter elementary school in Winter Haven, Florida, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. Its enrollment is compact even by elementary school standards, with class sizes across the grade levels that keep the school quite intimate. Students who attend chose this option rather than being assigned by address, which is the nature of charter enrollment in Florida.
The student body is racially mixed, with white students making up close to half of enrollment, Hispanic students roughly a third, and Black students a smaller share, alongside a few students identifying as Asian or multiracial. Just over half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing economic need at a moderate-to-substantial level. Data on English learner enrollment and students receiving special education services were not reported, so a parent curious about support in those areas would want to ask the school directly.
On Florida's FAST assessments in the most recent year, the math picture is strong. Third and fifth graders tested well above what most elementary schools in the state produce, and fourth grade math results, while a step down, still represent solid attainment. That consistency across grade levels in math is a genuine strength worth naming. ELA tells a more mixed story. Third and fifth grade reading results land in a reasonable range, but fourth grade ELA proficiency drops noticeably below the other grades. Whether that dip reflects a specific cohort, a transition in curriculum, or something else is not clear from the data alone, and a parent would do well to raise that with the school. Science was tested only at fifth grade, where roughly two-thirds of students scored proficient, a creditable result for an elementary charter. Trend data across years was not available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability.
Hartridge Academy sits on US Highway 92 West in Winter Haven, part of the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area in Polk County. The county's economy draws on healthcare, retail, agriculture, logistics, and hospitality. Publicly reported employers in the area include Publix Super Markets, which anchors significant local employment; Winter Haven Hospital, operating within a regional healthcare network; CenterState Bank, a banking institution founded and headquartered in Winter Haven; Legoland Florida, operated by Merlin Entertainments and a visible regional attraction employer; and Indian River Transport, a food-grade trucking company based in town.
The housing market near the school shows home values that have dipped modestly year over year, landing well below the Florida state median. Rents in the immediate zip code are moving slightly upward. By affordability measures, the local market is more accessible than much of the state, and estimated monthly ownership costs run meaningfully below comparable rental costs in the area. For a family weighing whether to rent or buy near this school, the gap between those two options is worth factoring in.
The comparison framework available here covers Polk County districts, but the comparison set is too small to produce reliable position data for this school, so no county-level standing is reported. The parent district is Polk County School District.
No program-specific data, staffing information, or discipline figures were included in the available data. The district brief search found no confirmed parent-relevant policy or structural changes to report. For a family considering Hartridge Academy, the math performance stands out as a clear strength, the fourth-grade ELA result is worth asking about, and the school's small scale will feel either like a draw or a limitation depending on what a family is looking for.
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