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Educational Institutions

Polk County is home to 10 universities, colleges and technical schools. Within a 100-mile radius, our community has access to 500,000 students in the Florida High Tech Corridor. There are 95,000 students in the Polk County K-12 school system and the International Baccalaureate program in Bartow has consistently been rated one of the best high schools in the United States.

SRI International’s 2008 Industry Cluster Assessment & Selection study prepared for the Central Florida Development Council hits the mark squarely when it notes Polk County, Florida is at a pivotal point in its development. Located in the heart of the Florida High Tech Corridor, this community of 585,000 persons is emerging from the shadows of phosphate mining, agribusiness and tourism and has taken a strong, strategic approach to advance high-tech economic development.

Driving the future generation of desired high skill, high wage employment in the center of a mega-region stretching from Tampa to Orlando are two new education initiatives: the state’s first polytechnic, the University of South Florida Polytechnic, on Interstate 4 in Lakeland and Polk State College’s Advanced Technology Center in Bartow.

The USF Polytechnic will have an ultimate capacity of 16,000 students and will feature a distinctive combination of science, engineering and technology programs, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees with an emphasis on applied learning and research.

The Advanced Technology Center will be designed to encompass ongoing successful training institutes at Polk State College’s Corporate College. These programs will include Supply Chain Management, the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing/Automation and Robotics, the Information Technology Institute, the Safety and Homeland Security Institute, partnerships with local, state, national and international higher education institutes, Design and Construction Technologies Institutes and the Green Institute.

For more information about Polk County’s higher education, please visit one of the schools below:

Everest University

Florida Leadership Training Center

Florida Southern College

Keiser College

Polk Area Schools

Polk State College

Ridge Career Center

Southeastern University

Traviss Technical Center

University of Florida – Citrus Research and Education Center

University of South Florida Polytechnic

Warner University

Webber International University

Webster University

Testimonials
"The county's business environment and the ongoing support of the CFDC have helped us achieve [our] goal for many years and we look forward to our continued partnership."
- Charles Matthews, VP Operations, Florida's Natural Growers
"We initially targeted Polk County because of its obvious logistical advantages, but we were immediately impressed by the tremendous support and cooperation we received from the CFDC. A building can be built anywhere, but what makes a project...successful is a cooperative relationship with community leaders and the availability of a dedicated and reliable workforce."
- David Behm, VP, Aldi Inc.
"From a personal and business perspective, being new to Polk County has been a very positive experience. We are excited to live and work in Polk County and look forward to what the future has to bring in terms of growth and opportunities."
- Stacy Hackworth, Facility Manager, Ferguson
"We found the economic development atmosphere and support from Polk County to be a true asset in our decision to locate our new, state-of-the-art facility in Lakeland. When you are building the most advanced manufacturing facility your industry has ever seen, you have to have confidence in the long-term commitment of the community. We found just that in Polk County and are pleased to be one of their newest business neighbors and partners."
- Ross Dalton, President, GTECH Printing Corporation
"In 1962, State Farm opened its doors in Winter Haven, which is now our Florida headquarters. We are so proud to be a part of this great Polk County community. Polk County provides State Farm with a workforce that brings diverse talents and experiences to provide the quality service our State Farm customers expect and deserve."
- Jim Thompson, Sr. Vice President, State Farm Insurance