Enrollment
453
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Sarasota, FL
Alta Vista Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Alta Vista Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120168001835
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 9
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Alta Vista Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Florida schools.
- #18 of 26
- schools in Sarasota · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.6:1
- small classes for Florida
- 78.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Alta Vista Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 91% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Alta Vista Elementary School ranks #18 of 26 schools in Sarasota, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.4%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alta Vista Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Alta Vista Elementary School
Alta Vista Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Sarasota, Florida, enrolling 453 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.6:1, Alta Vista Elementary School is leaner than roughly 91% of Florida schools and 35% under the state's 17.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 78.4% of students qualify for free meals, 51% above the Florida average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 453 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 592 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #116.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (50%) and White (24%) (diversity index 66/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 453 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Sarasota also operates Riverview High School (2,637 students) and Venice Senior High School (2,579 students) alongside Alta Vista Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Alta Vista Elementary School compares
Alta Vista Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.6:1 | ▼ 35% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.4% | ▲ 51% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 453 | top 66% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.6:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
453
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
78.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.6:1
students per teacher
- 35% below state mean
Top 9% in Florida - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
30.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,753
per pupil, district-wide
- above Florida avg of $11,167
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 453 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 49.9%
White 24.1%
African American 16.3%
Two or More 8.2%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 49.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.9, Alta Vista Elementary School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sarasota, which includes Alta Vista Elementary School.
$12,753
Per student
+14%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 77.1%
State 11.5%
Federal 11.3%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Alta Vista Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverview High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Venice Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Port High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sarasota High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pine View School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Alta Vista Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,637
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 2,579
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,557
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,359
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,752
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Florida, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~453 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Alta Vista Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Alta Vista Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Sarasota's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Alta Vista Elementary School
How many students attend Alta Vista Elementary School?
Alta Vista Elementary School has 453 students enrolled. It is a public school in Sarasota, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alta Vista Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Alta Vista Elementary School is 11.6:1, which is 35% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 26% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alta Vista Elementary School?
78.4% of students at Alta Vista Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alta Vista Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Alta Vista Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 49.9% of enrollment, in Sarasota, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alta Vista Elementary School?
Alta Vista Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Alta Vista Elementary School rank among schools in Sarasota?
By Resource Investment Index, Alta Vista Elementary School ranks #18 of 26 schools in Sarasota, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Sarasota on the city page.
Is Alta Vista Elementary School a good school?
Alta Vista Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Florida schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Sarasota?
Besides Alta Vista Elementary School, Sarasota also operates Riverview High School (2,637 students), Venice Senior High School (2,579 students), and North Port High School (2,557 students). See the Sarasota district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.