Is Polk County Middle School a good school?

Polk County Middle School ranks 180 th of 793 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Polk County Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 471 students attended Polk County Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Polk County Middle School?

Students at Polk County Middle School are 74% White, 13% Hispanic, 7% African American, 6% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Polk County Middle School attend?

Students who attend Polk County Middle School usually go on to attend Polk County High School

Polk County Middle School

Summary:

Polk County Middle School is a public middle school in Mill Spring, North Carolina, serving 475 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Polk County Schools district, which is ranked 30 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

Polk County Middle School consistently performs above the state average in proficiency rates for end-of-grade tests in Mathematics, Reading, and Science. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, the school's 8th-grade proficiency rates were 55.4% in Mathematics, 68.1% in Reading, and 82.5% in Science, compared to the state averages of 46.9%, 51.4%, and 70.1%, respectively. The school has a higher percentage of White students (75.37%) compared to the state average, as well as a lower percentage of African American (7.16%) and Hispanic (12.84%) students. Polk County Middle School has maintained a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past several years, ranking among the top 20-25% of middle schools in North Carolina.

Polk County Middle School has shown strong performance across various student subgroups, including Hispanic students, English Language Learners, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. For example, in the 2021-2022 school year, the school's Hispanic students ranked 45 out of 541 middle schools in the state, and its English Language Learners ranked 8 out of 312 middle schools. When compared to nearby middle schools like Cane Creek Middle, Rugby Middle, and East Rutherford Middle School, Polk County Middle School generally outperforms its counterparts in academic proficiency rates and overall school rankings.

Detail:

Public 6-8

321 Wolverine Trail
Mill Spring, NC 28756

(828) 894-2215

District: Polk County Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
180^th of 793 North Carolina Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,233

Students who attend Polk County Middle School usually attend:

High:

Polk County High School

Feeder schools for Polk County Middle School:

Elementary:	Polk Central Elementary School
	Saluda Elementary School
	Sunny View Elementary School
	Tryon Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 11.7

Number of students: 471

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.1%

Hispanic:

12.5%

African American:

6.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 99.4%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Polk County Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Polk County Middle School ranks better than 77.3% of middle schools in North Carolina. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 73.88. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (74.1%), Hispanic (12.5%), African American (6.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 99.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Polk County Middle School is 11.7. (See more...)

Compare Polk County Middle School employs 40 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Polk County Middle School is $11,233.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Polk County Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Polk County Middle School 180^th of 793 North Carolina public middle schools. (See Polk County Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Gifted and Talented students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Polk County Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Polk County Schools 30^th of 242 North Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Polk County Middle School?

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Rank History for Polk County Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Polk County Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NC State Percentile
2006	76.74	94^th	598	84.3%
2007	83.57	42^nd	606	93.1%
2008	83.48	64^th	620	89.7%
2009	83.68	57^th	630	91.0%
2010	83.43	53^rd	640	91.7%
2011	81.27	75^th	648	88.4%
2012	78.69	103^rd	662	84.4%
2013	79.65	108^th	673	84.0%
2014	81.57	98^th	627	84.4%
2015	80.39	114^th	705	83.8%
2016	79.20	117^th	692	83.1%
2017	85.11	71^st	694	89.8%
2018	84.78	68^th	691	90.2%
2019	85.16	79^th	737	89.3%
2021	73.74	175^th	741	76.4%
2022	82.29	127^th	786	83.8%
2023	77.93	156^th	784	80.1%
2024	73.88	180^th	793	77.3%

See the entire list of North Carolina Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Polk County Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NC State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	95.77	8^th	312	97.4%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Polk County Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NC State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	49.14	176^th	473	62.8%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Polk County Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	92.82	14^th	604	97.7%
2019	88.95	33^rd	639	94.8%
2021	78.50	74^th	633	88.3%
2022	93.09	24^th	689	96.5%
2023	80.55	87^th	735	88.2%
2024	71.00	144^th	743	80.6%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Polk County Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	90.22	34^th	656	94.8%
2019	81.52	98^th	684	85.7%
2021	69.45	187^th	706	73.5%
2022	78.10	141^st	733	80.8%
2023	76.26	147^th	731	79.9%
2024	71.07	184^th	738	75.1%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Polk County Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	75.85	41^st	475	91.4%
2019	79.91	44^th	504	91.3%
2021	52.51	161^st	478	66.3%
2022	74.97	46^th	449	89.8%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Polk County Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NC State Percentile
2019	66.80	116^th	416	72.1%
2021	56.11	231^st	448	48.4%
2022	65.77	132^nd	450	70.7%
2023	54.87	258^th	452	42.9%
2024	65.91	134^th	461	70.9%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina Middle Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for Male students at Polk County Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	77.88	116^th	665	82.6%
2019	86.77	66^th	697	90.5%
2021	75.12	157^th	711	77.9%
2022	83.67	103^rd	748	86.2%
2023	77.05	150^th	747	79.9%
2024	73.92	165^th	751	78.0%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Polk County Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	67.10	104^th	494	78.9%
2019	72.03	89^th	519	82.9%
2022	69.26	104^th	550	81.1%
2024	71.53	108^th	560	80.7%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Polk County Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	87.83	22^nd	472	95.3%
2019	79.04	60^th	493	87.8%
2021	74.97	70^th	522	86.6%
2022	83.48	45^th	541	91.7%
2023	75.58	85^th	553	84.6%
2024	64.44	144^th	564	74.5%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Polk County Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	77.48	109^th	596	81.7%
2019	78.73	111^th	624	82.2%
2021	61.55	216^th	632	65.8%
2022	71.82	172^nd	658	73.9%
2023	67.26	198^th	656	69.8%
2024	62.34	222^nd	652	66.0%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Polk County Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2006	453	64	3	39	0	n/a	n/a	0	559
2007	467	44	3	41	0	n/a	n/a	18	573
2008	463	45	2	40	1	n/a	n/a	24	575
2009	453	60	1	42	1	n/a	n/a	0	557
2010	443	57	0	43	2	n/a	n/a	0	545
2011	435	38	0	43	3	0	17	0	536
2012	422	35	1	42	3	0	16	0	519
2013	411	33	1	55	3	0	19	0	522
2014	428	29	0	66	1	0	17	0	541
2015	405	27	0	64	1	0	19	0	516
2016	380	23	2	65	0	0	19	0	489
2017	389	24	2	65	0	0	21	0	501
2018	359	27	2	64	0	0	23	0	475
2019	373	30	1	69	0	0	20	0	493
2020	362	32	1	70	0	0	33	0	498
2021	358	29	0	78	0	0	21	0	486
2022	363	36	0	72	0	0	26	0	497
2023	358	34	0	61	0	0	22	0	475
2024	349	31	0	59	1	1	30	0	471

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 Polk County Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2006	559	n/a	n/a	45.4
2007	573	44.3	12.9	45
2008	575	42.7	13.5	49.7
2009	557	41.5	13.4	49.6
2010	545	41.3	13.1	52.3
2011	536	40.4	13.2	51.7
2012	519	41.1	12.6	54.5
2013	522	40.2	12.9	58.6
2014	541	40.7	13.2	57.1
2015	516	41.0	12.5	57.2
2016	489	40.0	12.2	99.4
2017	501	42.3	11.8	59.9
2018	475	42.3	11.2	56.2
2019	493	41.7	11.7	51.1
2020	498	38.2	13.0	50
2021	486	40.3	12.0	38.5
2022	497	40.6	12.2	46.1
2023	475	38.7	12.2	55.8
2024	471	40.0	11.7	99.4

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 Polk County Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2006	559	n/a	n/a	45.4
2007	573	44.3	12.9	45
2008	575	42.7	13.5	49.7
2009	557	41.5	13.4	49.6
2010	545	41.3	13.1	52.3
2011	536	40.4	13.2	51.7
2012	519	41.1	12.6	54.5
2013	522	40.2	12.9	58.6
2014	541	40.7	13.2	57.1
2015	516	41.0	12.5	57.2
2016	489	40.0	12.2	99.4
2017	501	42.3	11.8	59.9
2018	475	42.3	11.2	56.2
2019	493	41.7	11.7	51.1
2020	498	38.2	13.0	50
2021	486	40.3	12.0	38.5
2022	497	40.6	12.2	46.1
2023	475	38.7	12.2	55.8
2024	471	40.0	11.7	99.4

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 Polk County Middle School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$636 (5.7%)	$10,597 (94.3%)	$11,233

Data source: North Carolina Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Polk County Middle School

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.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 79^th of 737 Middle schools	Ranks 156^th of 784 Middle schools	9.2%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade Mathematics (Polk County Middle School)	79.6	65.7	13.9%
6th Grade Mathematics (Polk County Schools)	79.6	65.7	13.9%
6th Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)	58.8	52.3	6.5%
6th Grade Reading (Polk County Middle School)	84.7	67.9	16.8%
6th Grade Reading (Polk County Schools)	84.7	67.9	16.8%
6th Grade Reading (North Carolina)	60	49.3	10.7%
7th Grade Mathematics (Polk County Middle School)	70.4	58.6	11.8%
7th Grade Mathematics (Polk County Schools)	70.4	58.6	11.8%
7th Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)	58.4	50.1	8.3%
7th Grade Reading (Polk County Middle School)	75	63.6	11.4%
7th Grade Reading (Polk County Schools)	75	63.6	11.4%
7th Grade Reading (North Carolina)	58.8	50.2	8.6%
8th Grade Mathematics (Polk County Middle School)	75.1	55.6	19.5%
8th Grade Mathematics (Polk County Schools)	75.1	55.6	19.5%
8th Grade Mathematics (North Carolina)	52.6	44.8	7.8%
8th Grade Reading (Polk County Middle School)	75.3	66.9	8.4%
8th Grade Reading (Polk County Schools)	75.3	66.9	8.4%
8th Grade Reading (North Carolina)	55.6	51	4.6%
8th Grade Science (Polk County Middle School)	86.3	80.5	5.8%
8th Grade Science (Polk County Schools)	86.3	80.5	5.8%
8th Grade Science (North Carolina)	78.6	70.3	8.3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	493	475	3.7%
African American	30	34	13.3%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	1	0	100%
Hispanic	69	61	11.6%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	373	358	4%
Two or More Races	20	22	10%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	51.1%	55.8%	4.7%

Schools Near Polk County Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				EOG Mathematics (2024)			EOG Reading (2024)			EOG Science (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Polk County Middle School	Public	6-8	321 Wolverine Trail	Mill Spring	28756	Polk County	Polk County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 894-2215	471	40	11.7	99.4%	349 (74.1%)	31 (6.6%)	59 (12.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (6.4%)	73.9	180^th of 793 public middle schools	77.3%		77.9	156^th of 784 public middle schools	80.1%	24	58.3	55.9	55.4	64.7	57.3	68.1	82.5	$11,233	$636	$10,597
R-S Middle School	Public	6-8	607 Westbrook Dr.	Rutherfordton	28139	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 286-4461	559	36	15.3	97.9%	385 (68.9%)	71 (12.7%)	54 (9.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (8.4%)	61.4	278^th of 793 public middle schools	64.9%		64.2	250^th of 784 public middle schools	68.1%	28	57.1	51.7	42.4	58.2	56.1	53.1	77.5	$8,987	$745	$8,242
Flat Rock Middle	Public	6-8	191 Preston Lane	East Flat Rock	28726	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 697-4775	739	48	15.4	99.6%	385 (52.1%)	23 (3.1%)	290 (39.2%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.6%)	24 (3.2%)	34.6	535^th of 793 public middle schools	32.5%		42.1	435^th of 784 public middle schools	44.5%	100	40.6	42.8	44.4	35.2	32.3	43.6	67.5	$8,914	$670	$8,244
Apple Valley Middle	Public	6-8	43 Fruitland Road	Hendersonville	28792	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 697-4545	846	54	15.6	99.6%	415 (49.1%)	29 (3.4%)	344 (40.7%)	11 (1.3%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.7%)	40 (4.7%)	43.3	457^th of 793 public middle schools	42.4%		40.4	459^th of 784 public middle schools	41.5%	2	45.6	48.3	62.3	40.4	37.7	39.2	66.1	$9,107	$1,028	$8,080
Hendersonville Middle	Public	6-8	825 North Whitted Street	Hendersonville	28791	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 697-4800	528	38	13.9	99.1%	328 (62.1%)	38 (7.2%)	112 (21.2%)	6 (1.1%)	3 (0.6%)	7 (1.3%)	34 (6.4%)	66.8	234^th of 793 public middle schools	70.5%		65.5	239^th of 784 public middle schools	69.5%	5	64.4	57.2	47.9	57.4	52.4	60.4	75.7	$10,377	$1,128	$9,249
Chase Middle School	Public	6-8	840 Chase High Rd	Forest City	28043	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 247-1043	481	28	17.4	99.4%	333 (69.2%)	29 (6.0%)	85 (17.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.7%)	61.2	279^th of 793 public middle schools	64.8%		59.8	293^rd of 784 public middle schools	62.6%	14	61.7	51.6	39.7	58.0	55.4	48.7	80.8	$9,772	$780	$8,991
Cane Creek Middle	Public	6-8	570 Lower Brush Creek Road	Fletcher	28732	Henderson County	Buncombe County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 628-0824	470	32	14.6	99.4%	399 (84.9%)	9 (1.9%)	42 (8.9%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (3.2%)	83.3	108^th of 793 public middle schools	86.4%		85.5	98^th of 784 public middle schools	87.5%	10	80.0	76.3	53.0	72.0	67.9	61.9	78.4	$9,589	$601	$8,988
Rugby Middle	Public	6-8	3345 Haywood Road	Hendersonville	28791	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 891-6566	838	54	15.5	99.6%	649 (77.4%)	15 (1.8%)	114 (13.6%)	17 (2.0%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	40 (4.8%)	81.1	122^nd of 793 public middle schools	84.6%		84.2	106^th of 784 public middle schools	86.5%	16	67.1	73.6	67.8	59.3	62.7	64.0	83.7	$8,445	$526	$7,919
East Rutherford Middle School	Public	6-8	259 East Church Street	Bostic	28018	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 245-3750	563	35	16.2	99.1%	385 (68.4%)	68 (12.1%)	68 (12.1%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.7%)	52	375^th of 793 public middle schools	52.7%		54.8	335^th of 784 public middle schools	57.3%	40	54.9	44.8	43.8	48.0	44.8	54.6	74.5	$9,615	$916	$8,699

Polk County Middle School

Polk County Middle School:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Polk County Schools:

What do you think?

Rank History for Polk County Middle School

Rank History for all students at Polk County Middle School

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Polk County Middle School

Rank History for Special Education students at Polk County Middle School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Polk County Middle School

Rank History for Female students at Polk County Middle School

Rank History for Disabled students at Polk County Middle School

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Polk County Middle School

Rank History for Male students at Polk County Middle School

Rank History for African American students at Polk County Middle School

Rank History for Hispanic students at Polk County Middle School

Rank History for White students at Polk County Middle School

Enrollment information for Polk County Middle School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Polk County Middle School

Student/Teacher Ratio Polk County Middle School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Polk County Middle School

Impact of COVID-19 on Polk County Middle School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Polk County Middle School

Frequently Asked Questions about Polk County Middle School

Rate Polk County Middle School!

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