Enrollment
903
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 120087003178
Benito Middle School — Tampa, FL
Federal NCES profile for Benito Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 20
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 17
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Hillsborough · Florida
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.9:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.6%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benito Middle School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Benito Middle School reports 903 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 51.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% above the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 41.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 20% below the Florida average and 20% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 301 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hillsborough spends $11,744 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 43.2% from local sources (property taxes), 40.7% from the state, and 16.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Benito Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Florida state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.9:1 | ▲ 9% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.6% | ▼ 20% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 903 | top 76% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
41.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 20% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.9:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 76% in Florida — lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
33.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,744
per pupil, district-wide
— below Florida avg of $12,756
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 301 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
56
in-school suspensions + 104 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 903 Top 76% in Florida — larger than 24% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 51.0
Students per teacher 19.9:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 41.6% -20% vs state
NCES ID 120087003178
Student demographics
White 29.5%
African American 22.5%
Hispanic or Latino 20.9%
Asian 17.8%
Two or More 9.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 29.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 301:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.3%
In-school suspensions 56
Out-of-school suspensions 104
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hillsborough, which includes Benito Middle School.
$11,744
Per student
-8%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 43.2%
State 40.7%
Federal 16.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 5,748
- Students per teacher
- 36.1:1
- Enrollment
- 3,602
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
- Enrollment
- 3,157
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,863
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,572
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
Similar middle schools in Tampa
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Farnell Middle School
Standard public school
1,184 students 21.7:1 students per teacher
Memorial Middle School
Standard public school
973 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Davidsen Middle School
Standard public school
969 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Buchanan Middle School
Standard public school
928 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
Coleman Middle School
Standard public school
860 students 19.4:1 students per teacher
Pierce Middle School
Standard public school
858 students 19.7:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Benito Middle School
How many students attend Benito Middle School?
Benito Middle School has 903 students enrolled. It is a middle school in TAMPA, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benito Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Benito Middle School is 19.9:1, which is 9% higher than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Benito Middle School?
41.6% of students at Benito Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benito Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Benito Middle School is White at 29.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in TAMPA, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benito Middle School?
Benito Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.