Polk State’s collegiate high schools achieve A’s and commendable rating

Posted on by Polk Newsroom

Polk State College’s three charter high schools are celebrating A grades and high ratings for the 2017-2018 school year.

For the fourth consecutive year, Polk State Lakeland Collegiate High School and Polk State Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School achieved A’s, according to grades the Florida Department of Education released Wednesday.

Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Collegiate High School, which receives a school improvement rating instead of a school grade due to differences in its mission, received for the second year in a row a “commendable” school improvement rating – the highest rating achievable. It is the only school in Polk County to achieve this status for the 2017-2018 academic year.

“We are proud of our hardworking students and dedicated team of faculty and staff,” Lakeland Gateway to College Principal Corey Barnes said. “We are looking forward to continued student growth and fulfilling our mission of meeting the needs of our diverse population.”

The principals of Lakeland Collegiate and Chain of Lakes Collegiate echoed similar sentiments.

“We are thrilled to be recognized once again as an A school, which is a testament to the dedication of our students, faculty, and staff,” Lakeland Collegiate Principal Rick Jeffries said. “We continue to pursue excellence in everything we do and we are committed to providing a world-class education.”

Lakeland Collegiate recently earned reaccreditation from the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), an accreditation division of AdvancED. Chain of Lakes and Lakeland Gateway to College also hold NCA CASI accreditation.

Polk State’s three charter high schools allow students to simultaneously complete requirements for their high school diplomas while earning college credits. In many cases, students graduate with both their high school diplomas and Associate in Arts degrees.

Polk State’s collegiate high schools serve only juniors and seniors, and this specialization formerly made them ineligible for school grades, as these ratings were largely based on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test administered to sophomores.

“We are incredibly proud of our students, faculty, and staff, who continue to work hard and achieve excellence,” Chain of Lakes Principal Bridget Fetter said.

Both Lakeland and Chain of Lakes collegiate high schools became eligible to receive school grades four years ago after the state adopted the Florida Standards Assessments for K-12 students.

Since then, the schools have received A’s each year.

“We are incredibly proud of our students, faculty, and staff, who continue to work hard and achieve excellence,” Chain of Lakes Principal Bridget Fetter said.