Rosabelle W. Blake Academy, 510 Hartsell Ave.: a K-8 Cambridge magnet school, 562 students (2024-25), a B in Florida's 2026 grades. 863-499-2870.
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.
Rosabelle W. Blake Academy is a Polk County Public Schools magnet school for kindergarten through eighth grade on Hartsell Avenue, inside the Lakeland city limits. The district describes it as a Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary program “vertically aligned and structured to meet each individual student’s academic and developmental needs,” on its magnet and choice schools page.
Who to call
- Front office: 863-499-2870, 510 Hartsell Ave., Lakeland, FL 33815
- School website: blakeacademy.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 | 510 Hartsell Ave., Lakeland, FL 33815 |
| Phone | 863-499-2870 |
| Grades | Kindergarten to 8 |
| Principal | Albert Cummings |
| Program | Cambridge magnet |
| 2026 state grade | B (61% of points) |
Principal. Albert Cummings is the principal, according to the school’s staff page.
The school was named in 1991 for Rosabelle W. Blake, an educator who became supervisor of Polk County’s Black schools, and became Rosabelle W. Blake Academy in 2002, according to its about page.
Enrollment and teachers
- Federal count: 562 students in the 2024-25 school year, with 31 full-time-equivalent classroom teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 18 students per teacher. The federal record lists pre-K through grade 8 that year.
State report card
Florida gave Blake Academy a B in its 2026 school grades, with 61% of the points possible, after C’s in 2025 and 2024, according to the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades file. The file lists it as a combination school. 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 | B (61% of points) |
| Grade 3 English language arts achievement | 51% |
| English language arts achievement | 56% |
| English language arts learning gains | 63% |
| Math achievement | 55% |
| Math learning gains | 62% |
| Science achievement | 36% |
| Social studies achievement | 91% |
| Middle school acceleration | 77% |
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 Blake. 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.
- Progression. Rising sixth graders at Combee Academy of Design and Engineering are assigned to Blake, and Blake’s rising ninth graders are prepared for the Cambridge AICE program at Tenoroc High, the district says.
- 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, for no more than 50% of the kindergarten class.
- Acceptance and buses. An acceptance appears in the Parent Portal, and families have 10 working days to accept. The district provides transportation if the home is 2 miles or more from the school.
What the program offers
The school’s home page lists the Cambridge curriculum, Cambridge Global Perspectives research projects, a makerspace and FabLab, project-based learning and middle school sports. The district says middle school students may take digital video, engineering, Spanish and agriculture courses for high school credit.
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. Instructional time is 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Campus supervision begins at 7:30 a.m., breakfast runs 7:30 to 7:55 a.m. and the main office is open 7:30 a.m. to 4 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 Blake Academy?
Rosabelle W. Blake Academy is a Polk County magnet school with no attendance zone. Families in its magnet zone apply, the district fills open seats by computerized random selection, and Combee Academy of Design and Engineering’s rising sixth graders are assigned to Blake.
What is Blake Academy’s school grade?
Blake Academy earned a B in Florida’s 2026 school grades, with 61% of possible points, up from C’s in 2025 and 2024.
Which high school does Blake Academy prepare students for?
Blake’s rising ninth graders are prepared for the Cambridge AICE program at Tenoroc High School, according to the district’s magnet page. The AICE program is a high school choice program families apply for.
What time does Blake Academy start?
Instructional time is 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; campus supervision and breakfast begin at 7:30 a.m., according to the school’s website.
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