Rochelle School of the Arts, 1501 Martin L. King Jr. Ave.: K-8 fine arts magnet, 762 students (2024-25), a 2026 state grade of A. 863-499-2810.
Last checked Oct. 9, 2026. Sources: Polk County Public Schools, its magnet and choice schools page, the school’s website, the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades and the federal NCES school directory.
Rochelle School of the Arts is a Polk County Public Schools fine arts magnet school for kindergarten through eighth grade on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, inside the Lakeland city limits. Its “STEAM curriculum develops the whole learner,” according to the district’s magnet and choice schools page, with electives in dance, band, chorus, orchestra, theater and the visual arts.
Who to call
- Front office: 863-499-2810, 1501 Martin L. King Jr. Ave., Lakeland, FL 33805
- School website: rochellesota.polkschoolsfl.com
- Magnet applications: the district’s Office of Acceleration and Innovation, 863-534-0631
- Buses: district Transportation Operations, 863-534-7300; transportation page
| Address | 1501 Martin L. King Jr. Ave., Lakeland, FL 33805 |
| Phone | 863-499-2810 |
| Grades | Kindergarten to 8 |
| Principal | Maude Frazier |
| Program | Fine arts magnet |
| 2026 state grade | A (68% of points) |
Principal. Maude Frazier is the principal, according to the school’s staff page.
Enrollment and teachers
- Federal count: 762 students in the 2024-25 school year, with 51 full-time-equivalent classroom teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 15 students per teacher. The federal record lists pre-K through grade 8 that year.
State report card
Florida gave Rochelle an A in its 2026 school grades, its third A in a row, with 68% of the points possible, according to the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades file. The state’s file lists it as a combination school, the category for schools that span elementary and middle grades. Its state report card has results by student group; it is an interactive dashboard that could not be read for this page.
| 2026 school grade measure | Result |
|---|---|
| School grade | A (68% of points) |
| Grade 3 English language arts achievement | 64% |
| English language arts achievement | 67% |
| English language arts learning gains | 60% |
| Math achievement | 67% |
| Math learning gains | 59% |
| Science achievement | 65% |
| Social studies achievement | 96% |
| Middle school acceleration | 89% |
Florida grades schools A to F on the share of possible points earned across these measures. Achievement is the share of tested students on grade level; learning gains is the share who improved from the year before. For a combination school, A is 65% of points or more, B is 60% to 64% and C is 45% to 59%, the state’s file says.
How admission works
No address is zoned for Rochelle. Under the district’s magnet and choice rules:
- Magnet zone. Families may apply only to magnet schools in the magnet zone where they live; Lakeland is in the district’s Zone A, listed as Highland City and Lakeland.
- Selection. Open seats are filled by “computerized random selection.” No numbers or places in line are assigned, and the applicant pool is kept for one school year.
- Siblings. Kindergarten applicants with a brother or sister returning to the school get preference, but no more than 50% of the kindergarten class is reserved for siblings. Families submit a sibling survey form to the school before open enrollment. No other sibling priority is given.
- Acceptance. An acceptance appears in the Parent Portal; families have 10 working days to accept and must register at the school with two proofs of address.
- Buses. The district provides transportation if the home is 2 miles or more from the school.
A student who is not offered a seat should enroll at the zoned school, the district says; seats are not guaranteed.
What the program offers
The school’s home page lists two STEAM labs, a makerspace for elementary students and a FabLab for middle school students. The district describes “multiple performances and exhibitions” that let students show their learning.
Calendar and bell times
From the district’s 2026-27 calendar (PDF), which the district labels tentative:
- Friday, Oct. 16: no school for students
- Friday, Oct. 30: early dismissal
- Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, no school
- Nov. 23-27: fall break
- Monday, Dec. 21: winter break begins; students return Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2027
Bell times. School hours are 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The first bell is at 8:10 a.m.; on early-dismissal days students leave at 12:45 p.m., according to the school’s about page.
More on Lakeland schools
- The district’s school listings, with every Polk County school
- Every public school in Lakeland, with zones and report cards
- Our Lakeland schools guide for the full calendar, enrollment steps and School Board meetings
Frequently asked questions
How do students get into Rochelle School of the Arts?
Rochelle is a Polk County magnet school with no attendance zone. Families who live in its magnet zone apply, and the district fills open seats by computerized random selection.
What is Rochelle School of the Arts’ school grade?
Rochelle earned an A in Florida’s 2026 school grades, with 68% of possible points, its third A in a row.
What grades does Rochelle School of the Arts serve?
Kindergarten through eighth grade, according to the school and the district’s magnet page. The federal directory also counted pre-K students there in 2024-25.
What time does Rochelle School of the Arts start?
School hours are 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., with the first bell at 8:10 a.m. and early dismissal at 12:45 p.m., according to the school’s website.
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