Ridge Technical Academy

Q: Is Ridge Technical Academy a good school?

Ridge Technical Academy ranks 586 th of 807 Florida high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Summary:

Ridge Technical Academy is a public high school located in Winter Haven, Florida, serving grades 6-12 with a total enrollment of 84 students. The school is part of the Polk School District, which is ranked 57th out of 68 districts in Florida and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ridge Technical Academy stands out from the nearby schools in several key ways. It has a significantly higher percentage of Hispanic students (47.62%) compared to the nearby schools, which range from 28.05% to 64.55% Hispanic students. The school also has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 34.6% to 44.4% over the past 5 years, which is significantly higher than the nearby schools, which range from 1.8% to 47.8%. Additionally, Ridge Technical Academy's test scores are consistently lower than the Polk County and Florida state averages across various subjects and grade levels, with only 18% of students proficient or better in Geometry EOC, compared to 40% in Polk County and 53% statewide.

Further analysis reveals that Ridge Technical Academy has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 48.21% to 54.17% over the past 3 years, which is higher than the nearby schools, which range from 0.91% to 71.68%. The school's spending per student has fluctuated over the past 4 years, ranging from $12,914 to $25,262, which is generally higher than the nearby schools, which range from $6,861 to $9,992 per student. These factors, combined with the school's small size and low ranking within the district and state, suggest that Ridge Technical Academy may face significant challenges in providing a quality education to its students.

Detail:

Public 6-12

7700 State Road 544
Winter Haven, FL 33881

(863) 419-3060

District: Polk

SchoolDigger Rank:
586^th of 807 Florida High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,158

Student/teacher ratio: 10.5

Number of students: 84

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

47.6%

White:

34.5%

African American:

15.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 53.6%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Ridge Technical Academy ranks worse than 72.6% of high schools in Florida. It also ranks 14^th among 26 ranked high schools in the Polk School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 25.21. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Ridge Technical Academy is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (47.6%), White (34.5%), African American (15.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 53.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Ridge Technical Academy is 10.5, which is the 6^th best among 26 high schools in the Polk School District. (See more...)

Compare Ridge Technical Academy employs 8 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Ridge Technical Academy is $13,158, which is the 4^th highest among 26 high schools in the Polk School District.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Ridge Technical Academy was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Ridge Technical Academy 586^th of 807 Florida public high schools. (See Ridge Technical Academy in the ranking list.)

Polk:

SchoolDigger ranks Polk 57^th of 68 Florida school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Ridge Technical Academy

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	FL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	20.30	599^th	792	24.4%
2024	25.21	586^th	807	27.4%

See the entire list of Florida High School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Florida Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Florida Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Ridge Technical Academy

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	Two or More Races	Total
2019	0	0	0	0	0	0
2020	31	14	2	54	0	101
2021	17	6	0	32	1	56
2022	18	7	0	20	3	48
2023	29	13	0	40	2	84

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Ridge Technical Academy

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	0	0.0	n/a	n/a
2020	101	8.0	12.6	12.9
2021	56	9.0	6.2	48.2
2022	48	8.0	6.0	54.2
2023	84	8.0	10.5	53.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Ridge Technical Academy

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	0	0.0	n/a	n/a
2020	101	8.0	12.6	12.9
2021	56	9.0	6.2	48.2
2022	48	8.0	6.0	54.2
2023	84	8.0	10.5	53.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Ridge Technical Academy

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$1,154 (7.8%)	$13,623 (92.2%)	$14,778
2020	$755 (5.8%)	$12,158 (94.1%)	$12,914
2021	$1,577 (8.7%)	$16,560 (91.3%)	$18,137
2022	$4,242 (16.8%)	$21,019 (83.2%)	$25,262
2023	$1,603 (12.2%)	$11,554 (87.8%)	$13,158

Data source: Florida Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Ridge Technical Academy

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	0	84
African American	0	13
American Indian	0	0
Asian	0	0
Hispanic	0	40
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	0	29
Two or More Races	0	2

Schools Near Ridge Technical Academy

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				FAST English Language Arts (2024)				FAST Math (2024)		Statewide Science Science (2024)	EOC Algebra 1 (2024)	EOC Geometry (2024)	EOC Biology 1 (2024)	EOC US History (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 9th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 10th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Biology 1 End of Course	EOC US History End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ridge Technical Academy	Public	6-12	7700 State Road 544	Winter Haven	33881	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	No	(863) 419-3060	84	8	10.5	53.6%	29 (34.5%)	13 (15.5%)	40 (47.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.4%)	25.2	586^th of 807 public high schools	27.4%		20.3	599^th of 792 public high schools	24.4%	13									18.0		53.0	$13,158	$1,603	$11,554
Ridge Teen Parent Program	Public	6-12	7700 Lucerne Park Rd	Winter Haven	33881	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	No	(863) 299-2512	8	0			1 (12.5%)	4 (50.0%)	3 (37.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Haines City Senior High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	2800 Hornet Dr	Haines City	33844	Polk County	Polk	No	Yes	No	Yes	(863) 421-3281	2,700	132	20.4	58.0%	304 (11.3%)	679 (25.1%)	1,612 (59.7%)	45 (1.7%)	12 (0.4%)	7 (0.3%)	41 (1.5%)	25.1	587^th of 807 public high schools	27.3%		24.4	562^nd of 792 public high schools	29.0%	25			38.0	35.0				23.0	39.0	54.0	42.0	$8,739	$1,486	$7,253
Don E Woods Opportunity Center	Public	6-12	213 Lake Ave E	Dundee	33838	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	No	(863) 421-3325	56	11	5.0	76.8%	12 (21.4%)	19 (33.9%)	23 (41.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.6%)	3	760^th of 807 public high schools	5.8%		3.2	751^st of 792 public high schools	5.2%	9	27.0	13.0	8.0	0.0	7.0	17.0	7.0	7.0
Chain Of Lakes Collegiate High	Public, Charter	11-12	999 Avenue H NE	Winter Haven	33881	Polk County	Polk	Yes	No	No	No	(863) 298-6800	328	8	41.0	0.9%	153 (46.6%)	56 (17.1%)	92 (28.0%)	18 (5.5%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	6 (1.8%)								(n/a)												$8,402	$1,459	$6,944
Discovery High School	Public, Charter	9-12	1000 N Buena Vista Dr	Lake Alfred	33850	Polk County	Polk	Yes	No	No	Yes	(863) 268-7178	911	45	20.2	71.7%	292 (32.1%)	153 (16.8%)	435 (47.7%)	9 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.5%)	17 (1.9%)	28.5	559^th of 807 public high schools	30.7%		32.6	474^th of 792 public high schools	40.2%	85			42.0	43.0				24.0	26.0	51.0	62.0	$9,992	$1,611	$8,381
New Beginnings High School	Public, Charter	6-12	250 Magnolia Ave SW	Winter Haven	33880	Polk County	Polk	Yes	No	No	Yes	(863) 268-5666	753	10	75.3	65.5%	168 (22.3%)	219 (29.1%)	333 (44.2%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.6%)	3.9	739^th of 807 public high schools	8.4%		4.1	725^th of 792 public high schools	8.5%	14		9.0	12.0	9.0			0.0	13.0	0.0	12.0	15.0	$8,631	$668	$7,963
Ridge Community High School	Public	9-12	500 Orchid Dr	Davenport	33837	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 419-3315	2,711	116	23.3	47.5%	285 (10.5%)	602 (22.2%)	1,750 (64.6%)	31 (1.1%)	9 (0.3%)	5 (0.2%)	29 (1.1%)	28.4	560^th of 807 public high schools	30.6%		23.4	569^th of 792 public high schools	28.2%	9			41.0	38.0				22.0	28.0	59.0	55.0	$6,861	$995	$5,866
Winter Haven Senior High School	Public	9-12	600 6th St SE	Winter Haven	33880	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 291-5330	2,467	116	21.2	50.5%	789 (32.0%)	740 (30.0%)	825 (33.4%)	42 (1.7%)	8 (0.3%)	5 (0.2%)	58 (2.4%)	37.4	447^th of 807 public high schools	44.6%		27.6	527^th of 792 public high schools	33.5%	80			48.0	43.0				26.0	37.0	61.0	64.0	$8,493	$1,373	$7,121
Auburndale Senior High School	Public	9-12	1 Bloodhound Trl	Auburndale	33823	Polk County	Polk	No	No	No	Yes	(863) 965-6200	1,716	74	23.1	52.7%	710 (41.4%)	380 (22.1%)	545 (31.8%)	19 (1.1%)	6 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	55 (3.2%)	18.9	644^th of 807 public high schools	20.2%		21.2	592^nd of 792 public high schools	25.3%	52			34.0	37.0				18.0	28.0	45.0	37.0	$8,341	$1,302	$7,039

Frequently Asked Questions about Ridge Technical Academy

Is Ridge Technical Academy a good school?

Ridge Technical Academy ranks 586^th of 807 Florida high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is Ridge Technical Academy in?

Polk

What is the racial makeup of Ridge Technical Academy?

Students at Ridge Technical Academy are 48% Hispanic, 35% White, 15% African American, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Ridge Technical Academy?

In the 2022-23 school year, 84 students attended Ridge Technical Academy.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.