Southeast Lakeland, south of the Polk Parkway, is mostly ZIP 33813, where Zillow's typical value was $369,661 in August 2026. Half is zoned for Jenkins High.

Last checked Oct. 9, 2026. Sources: the City of Lakeland’s planning sectors map and neighborhoods map, Polk County Public Schools’ Address Zoning tool, the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades, Zillow Research, the Polk County Property Appraiser, Citrus Connection and OpenStreetMap.

Southeast Lakeland is the area south of the Polk Parkway, from the Harden Boulevard area east to Lake Hancock: the Lakeland Highlands area, Lake Miriam, Polk State College’s Lakeland campus and Circle B Bar Reserve. Most of it is unincorporated Polk County with Lakeland mailing addresses. OpenStreetMap places the communities of Lakeland Highlands and Fountain Heights here; the Census Bureau counts Lakeland Highlands as its own place, with 11,669 people in its 2019-2023 American Community Survey estimates.

What this means for you

Part of our Lakeland neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

On the city’s planning sectors map, Southeast Lakeland covers about 21.7 square miles. The Polk Parkway is its northern edge, and Boy Scout Ranch Road and County Road 540A run along much of the south. Bartow Road (U.S. 98), South Florida Avenue and Lakeland Highlands Road run north to south through it.

City or county? About 20% of the land is inside city limits, by the city’s maps, and 40% of the addresses we checked had a Lakeland jurisdiction in the school district’s records. Outside the city, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office answers police calls, Polk County collects the trash (863-284-4319), and the tax bill carries the county’s fire assessment, $393 a year for a single-family home in 2025, according to the Property Appraiser’s millage table (PDF).

ZIP codes: 82% of the addresses we checked were in 33813, 15% in 33812 and 3% in 33803.

Neighborhood associations. The city’s neighborhoods map lists active registered associations for Fox Run and Lake Miriam, and also names Hallam, Highland View, Highlands, Highlands Place, SW Harden and The Woods in this sector.

Schools

We looked up 310 addresses in this sector in Polk County Public Schools’ Address Zoning tool for the 2026-27 school year. Grades are the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades.

Level School Share of addresses 2026 grade
High George W. Jenkins High 54% B
High Lakeland High 45% B
Middle Lakeland Highlands Middle 58% B
Middle Southwest Middle 28% C
Middle Crystal Lake Middle 8% C
Middle Bartow Middle 5% C
Elementary Highlands Grove Elementary 26% A
Elementary Carlton Palmore Elementary 22% C
Elementary Scott Lake Elementary 14% A
Elementary Valleyview Elementary 12% A
Elementary Southwest Elementary 10% B

Smaller shares go to Medulla, Highland City and Oscar J. Pope elementary schools. George W. Jenkins High, Lakeland Highlands Middle, Highlands Grove, Scott Lake and Valleyview elementary schools and Polk State College Collegiate High are all inside this sector, at the addresses in the federal NCES directory. See our schools guide.

Home values

The typical home value in ZIP 33813 was $369,661 in August 2026, down 0.3% from $370,637 in August 2025, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. In 33812 it was $373,323, down 0.2%. The index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes in the whole ZIP code, not a sale price. The citywide Lakeland figure was $309,954, down 1.3% on the year. More in our home prices guide.

Parks and trails

  • Circle B Bar Reserve, 4399 Winter Lake Road, a 1,267-acre Polk County reserve on the northwest shore of Lake Hancock, open 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in standard time, as our parks and trails guide details.
  • Rollingwoods Park, 900 Rollingwoods Lane, a city park.
  • Christina Park, mapped in OpenStreetMap.
  • eLibrary South Lakeland, 4740 S. Florida Ave., on the city’s parks and facilities map.

The city plans to extend the Fort Fraser Trail from Winter Lake Road to Lakeland Highlands Road and Glendale Street. The city’s Se7en Wetlands park is south of the sector, at 500 W. Carter Road, on its parks map.

Getting around

  • Polk Parkway: Exit 9, Lakeland Highlands Road, about 2.5 miles from the middle of the area by road; Exit 10, U.S. 98, about 3.7 miles.
  • I-4: Exit 31, Kathleen Road, about 12.1 miles. Exit numbers are from OpenStreetMap.
  • Downtown: about 7.8 miles to Munn Park.
  • Airports: about 9 miles to Lakeland Linder International and about 46 miles to Tampa International. These are road distances on the OpenStreetMap network measured with the OSRM routing engine, not drive times.
  • Buses: Citrus Connection’s Coral Line serves Lake Miriam Drive and Polk State College, and the Lime Flex route links the Lake Miriam Shopping Center with the Walmart stores on Carter Road and Imperial Boulevard, according to the agency’s route brochures.

More in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

From OpenStreetMap:

  • Publix, 4747 S. Florida Ave., 5185 U.S. 98 S. and 2125 E. County Road 540A
  • Publix, 3636 Harden Blvd., on the sector’s western edge
  • CVS Pharmacy, on Lake Miriam Drive and on Boy Scout Ranch Road
  • Walgreens, on East Highland Drive and on Boy Scout Ranch Road
  • Lake Miriam Shopping Center, a stop on the Lime Flex route

How we drew this area

This is the “Southeast Lakeland” sector on the city’s planning sectors map. School shares come from addresses inside it that we looked up in the district’s zoning tool on Oct. 9, 2026. Place names and store locations are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Frequently asked questions

Is Southeast Lakeland a good place to live?

Here are the facts. Southeast Lakeland is the planning sector south of the Polk Parkway, including Lakeland Highlands, Lake Miriam and Circle B Bar Reserve; most of it is unincorporated Polk County. Addresses split between George W. Jenkins High and Lakeland High, both graded B by the state for 2026, and Zillow put the typical home value in ZIP 33813 at $369,661 in August 2026.

What high school is Lakeland Highlands zoned for?

In the Southeast Lakeland sector, 54% of the addresses we checked in Polk County Public Schools’ zoning tool were zoned for George W. Jenkins High and 45% for Lakeland High. Jenkins High is at 6000 Lakeland Highlands Road.

What ZIP code is Lakeland Highlands?

Most of the Southeast Lakeland sector is in ZIP 33813, with the east side in 33812, according to the school district’s address records.

Is Lakeland Highlands in the city of Lakeland?

Mostly no. Only about 20% of the Southeast Lakeland sector’s land is inside city limits, by the city’s maps. The Census Bureau counts Lakeland Highlands as a separate unincorporated place.