Enrollment
899
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120165005376
Bennett C Russell Elementary School — Milton, FL
Federal NCES profile for Bennett C Russell Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 51
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: Santa Rosa · 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
16.1:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.8%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bennett C Russell Elementary 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
Bennett C Russell Elementary School reports 899 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 51.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% below the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 49.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 4% below the Florida average and 4% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 899 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Santa Rosa spends $11,289 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.1% from local sources (property taxes), 50.9% from the state, and 17.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Bennett C Russell Elementary 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 | 16.1:1 | ▼ 12% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.8% | ▼ 4% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 899 | 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
49.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 4% 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
16.1:1
students per teacher
— 12% below state mean
Top 41% in Florida — lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
19.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$11,289
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 899 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 899 Top 76% in Florida — larger than 24% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 51.0
Students per teacher 16.1:1 -12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 49.8% -4% vs state
NCES ID 120165005376
Student demographics
White 72.0%
Two or More 11.0%
Hispanic or Latino 9.7%
African American 6.3%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 72.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 899:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.5%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Rosa, which includes Bennett C Russell Elementary School.
$11,289
Per student
-12%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.1%
State 50.9%
Federal 17.0%
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
- 2,410
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,316
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,985
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,946
- Students per teacher
- 27.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,100
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
Similar other schools in Milton
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Berryhill Elementary School
Standard public school
802 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
W. H. Rhodes Elementary School
Standard public school
789 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
East Milton Elementary School
Standard public school
771 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Central School
Standard public school
732 students 14:1 students per teacher
Bagdad Elementary School
Standard public school
501 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
T. R. Jackson Prek Center
Standard public school
184 students 25.1:1 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 Bennett C Russell Elementary School
How many students attend Bennett C Russell Elementary School?
Bennett C Russell Elementary School has 899 students enrolled. It is a other school in MILTON, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bennett C Russell Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bennett C Russell Elementary School is 16.1:1, which is 12% lower than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bennett C Russell Elementary School?
49.8% of students at Bennett C Russell Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bennett C Russell Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Bennett C Russell Elementary School is White at 72.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in MILTON, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bennett C Russell Elementary School?
Bennett C Russell Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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.