Frederick Heid
In April 2021, Frederick Heid was unanimously selected by the Polk County School Board to become the new superintendent of Polk County Public Schools.
In this leadership role, he oversees one of the 30 largest school districts in the United States and the seventh-largest in Florida — serving more than 110,000 students (pre-K through 12th grade).
Mr. Heid arrived in Polk County with an extensive background in education. More than 20 years ago, he was a teacher at Booker Middle School in Sarasota County, Fla. In just his third year as an educator, he was recognized as Sarasota County’s Teacher of the Year.
Mr. Heid later became an assistant principal at Westridge Middle School in Orange County, where he developed a data-driven instructional program to better target students’ academic needs.
In 2006, Mr. Heid was promoted to principal of Liberty Middle School. He successfully transformed the school’s culture and academic performance, improving its grade from a “C” to an “A” on the Florida Department of Education’s school report card.
Mr. Heid was asked to transfer to Memorial Middle School where he improved this school’s grade from a “D” to a “C” by supporting academic rigor, literacy development and a culture of achievement.
In June 2010, he joined the Florida Department of Education to help schools struggling to boost student academic performance. He served as Bureau Chief for School Improvement and leader of Florida’s Differentiated Accountability (DA) project, where his duties included the monitoring and support of 300 schools in DA targeted assistance.
Mr. Heid later became Chief Academic Officer for Duval County Public Schools, a large district serving more than 127,000 students.
In June 2014 he was appointed as superintendent of District 300 in Algonquin, IL, where his achievements included:
- Forging a five-year strategic plan focused on ensuring college- and career-readiness for all graduates
- Providing an internet-accessible device for every student
- Increasing high school students’ opportunities to earn industry credentials, internships and college credits
- Implementing a new organizational chart to maximize productivity
- Securing a four-year contract with the teachers union
- Expanding tuition-free full-day kindergarten districtwide
He holds a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of South Florida and is pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Aurora University.
Mr. Heid, his wife, and teenage son live in Lakeland.
Contact Information
- Address: 1915 South Floral Avenue, Bartow, FL 33831
- Phone: (863) 534-0521
- Fax: (863) 519-8231
- Email: Frederick Heid