Enrollment
421
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bradenton, FL
Ballard Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Ballard Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120123001218
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 16
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ballard Elementary School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #24 of 33
- schools in Bradenton · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.6:1
- students per teacher
- 77.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Ballard Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ballard Elementary School ranks #24 of 33 schools in Bradenton, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.0%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ballard Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ballard Elementary School
Ballard Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Bradenton, Florida, enrolling 421 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 77.0% of students qualify for free meals, 48% above the Florida average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 421 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 578 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #333.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (47%) and African American (25%) (diversity index 68/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 421 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Manatee also operates Lakewood Ranch High School (2,422 students) and Parrish Community High School (2,266 students) alongside Ballard 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 Ballard Elementary School compares
Ballard 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 | 15.6:1 | ▼ 12% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.0% | ▲ 48% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 421 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
421
Bigger than 51% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
77.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% 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
15.6:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 40% in Florida - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
42.8%
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
$10,900
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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 421 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.9 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 47.3%
African American 25.4%
White 17.8%
Two or More 6.7%
Asian 2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 47.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.5, Ballard 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 Manatee, which includes Ballard Elementary School.
$10,900
Per student
-2%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.3%
State 25.8%
Federal 15.9%
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 Ballard Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood Ranch High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Parrish Community High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Palmetto High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Manatee School for the Arts | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Manatee High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ballard Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,422
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 2,266
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 2,185
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 2,051
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,998
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
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 (~421 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ballard Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Ballard Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Manatee'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 Ballard Elementary School
How many students attend Ballard Elementary School?
Ballard Elementary School has 421 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bradenton, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ballard Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ballard Elementary School is 15.6:1, which is 12% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 1% 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 Ballard Elementary School?
77.0% of students at Ballard Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ballard Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Ballard Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 47.3% of enrollment, in Bradenton, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ballard Elementary School?
Ballard Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower 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 Ballard Elementary School rank among schools in Bradenton?
By Resource Investment Index, Ballard Elementary School ranks #24 of 33 schools in Bradenton, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Bradenton on the city page.
Is Ballard Elementary School a good school?
Ballard Elementary School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median. 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 Manatee?
Besides Ballard Elementary School, Manatee also operates Lakewood Ranch High School (2,422 students), Parrish Community High School (2,266 students), and Palmetto High School (2,185 students). See the Manatee 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.