The Lakeland Center and the Historic Polk Theatre attract professional entertainment every year that complements a wealth of local talent showcased by community theatres, the Imperial Symphony Orchestra, the Polk Museum of Art, and the Lake Wales Art Center to name a few.
Polk County , historically a citrus and phosphate- based county now boasts 63 Fortune 500 companies such as Fed Ex, Coca Cola and State Farm. Publix Super Markets Inc. is headquartered here and will always be a source of pride for the area.
Bartow Elementary Academy, Union Academy, and Bartow High School International Baccalaureate program are ranked amongst the top in the State. Bartow High School is ranked 140 in Newsweek magazine’s latest list of the best 1,355 high schools in the U.S. In addition to a traditional high school, Bartow High houses an International Baccalaureate program and Summerlin Academy, a military high school that is a school of choice. The International Baccalaureate School is rated No. 7 on U.S. News & World Report's list of "America's Best High Schools."
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Bartow High’s rankings in the annual list are as follows:
2009: 140 out of 1,500 schools ranked
2008: 183 out of 1, 355 schools ranked
- 2007: 176 out of 1,236 schools ranked
- 2005: 253 out of 1, 043 schools ranked
- 2004: No rankings published in 2004
- 2003: 459 out of 806 schools ranked
Bartow IB School Climbs List Of U.S. Elite
It is now in top 10 percent in Newsweek rankings of best 1,500 schools.
By John Chambliss
The LedgerPublished:
Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 9:42 p.m. Last
Modified: Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 9:42 p.m.
Bartow International Baccalaureate School is now in the top 10 percent of America's best schools, according to Newsweek's annual rankingsThe school jumped nearly 50 spots to 140 in the magazine's list of the top 1,500 schools after it fell 12 spots in 2008 from 176 to 188. The school was first listed by the magazine as No. 459 out of 806 schools in 2003. To read more on this story click here.
The higher education community is constantly growing in Polk County. The University of South Florida, Polk County Community College, Florida Southern College, Southeastern University, Webber International, Warner Southern College, Webster University and Keiser University are all located within the county.
Lakeland is a very popular destination, especially during the Sun N’ Fun Fly-In every April. Disney World (40 minutes), SeaWorld (40 minutes), Universal Studios (45 minutes), the beaches ( 1 ½ hours), Kennedy Spaceport (1 ½ hours), and Tampa and Orlando Airports (less than 45 minutes) add convenience and fun to the area.
The more than 565,000 people who live in Polk County enjoy the winter average temperature in the 70’s and mid 80’s to low 90’s in the summer.
http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2008/12/10/best-high-schools-top-ib-schools.html