Bartow Senior High School

1270 South Broadway Avenue

School District

Polk
Grade

9-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:18
Type

public

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by student on August 26, 2020

overall amazing ! schools full of champions , that loving doing with theyre doing . the staff , i love , because they take care of students when needed .
Submitted by parent on April 03, 2016

I have 2 children currently enrolled at this school. When my oldest began her 9th grade year we immediately started having bullying problems. Shes now a senior and not much has changed. I have had more meetings at this school than i can count about several issues, bullying, struggling with classes, grades, cost, ect. I get the same response every time. "I'll look into it and give you a call" The call never happens. Their are probably a handful of teachers that seem to actually care about the students. The students are wild. There is some kind of lock down almost every month. There are no resources for tutoring or college. The guidance counselors either can not be found or have no solutions. The students are just a student number at this school. Its really sad. The attendance office is a joke. There is one lady that works in that office but she never gets up from her seat having the kids do everything for her. Shes more concerned with her appearance, constantly grooming herself even with several parents in the office. Since the new principal took over a couple years ago, she has basically taken everything away. Why would they care about school when there is nothing to look forward to? Also the kids have no one to talk to. The principal, Dean, even teachers never have time for them. When my children ask the teachers for makeup work or extra work they are always told "Not now, see me after school". Very upsetting to these kids that the only transportation home is the bus, in which they have to choose between makeup work (Missing the bus) or a ride home. There is no option for failing students. I have stood by the school sign to pick up my children and watched kids pass small bottles of liquor & cigarettes while the dean drove right passed them on the golf cart and never said a word. I really can not wait for my children to graduate away from this awful school.
Submitted by parent on September 07, 2015

I gave this (2) stars, because there are worse schools in Polk County, for sure.Bartow High School would probably be a failing school if they weren't using the IB, and probably Summerlin scores to pull up their grade. According to US News, less than 1/2 ar eproficient in Math and reading, and only 20% leave ready for college. 10% of the school are IB students, and then there is Summerlin, so what does that say.This is not a reflection on the students, or even the teachers. That is what Florida does with failing schools. They attach a school that draws high achievers, to fold in their test scores, so no one knows how bad that school is. There are several in Polk County, like Kathleen/Aerospace, Lakeland/Harrison, to name just a few.These add on schools, IB, Summerlin, Harrison, Aerospace, etc,. should be under a separate school number, so they get credit for their own achievement, and the true grade for the others comes out.Bartow has plenty of issues, but seems safer than many others. They really do work on that.It is a very poor school and does not get the perks of some of the big name sports schools, it seems. Parents are always left to scramble and raise money, give time, and teachers pay a lot out of their own pockets.Why do parents settle for this?