Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Gainesville, Florida - 58 schools
An equity score of 31/100 ranks Alachua #58 of 67 districts in Florida (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,805 per pupil, Alachua ranks #40 of 67 Florida districts by per-pupil spending (Florida districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Alachua operates 58 public schools serving 28,964 students, placing it among the larger districts in Florida. The school portfolio breaks down into 32 combined, 13 elementary, 8 middle, 5 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage across a sizeable portfolio before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Alachua County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,805 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 67 Florida districts by per-pupil spending. See how Florida compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 44.3% local, 36.3% state, and 19.4% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 31/100, ranked #58 of 67 in Florida against a state average of 51, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 6 of 58 schools offering Advanced Placement (90 AP courses district-wide), a 439.6:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 35.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 37.6% African American, 36.5% White, 14.3% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Kimball Wiles Elementary School, with a diversity index of 75.5/100.
Its largest campus is F. W. Buchholz High School, enrolling 2,416 students (9% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Challenge at Alachua Academy, at 16 students, a 151x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Alachua school enrollment ranges from 16 students (lowest) to 2,416 students (highest), a spread of 2,400 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22
This district scores below average on funding equity. High reliance on local revenue or lower spending may contribute.
Average demographic composition across 58 schools in Alachua.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Alachua's schools, above the Florida average of 52.3.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
The Florida districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bay | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Santa Rosa | Similar size | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Leon | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Okaloosa | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Hernando | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
Comparisons are relative to Alachua's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Miami-Dade →Alachua has 58 schools, including 32 combined, 5 high, 8 middle, 13 elementary. Total enrollment is 28,964 students.
Alachua spends $10,805 per student. The district has an equity score of 31/100, ranking #58 in Florida.
Alachua students are 37.6% African American, 36.5% White, 14.3% Hispanic or Latino, 3.6% Asian, averaged across 58 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Alachua has an equity score of 31/100, ranking #58 out of 67 districts in Florida.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.