Enrollment
1,479
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Sarasota, FL
Booker High School
Federal NCES profile for Booker High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 120168002461
👥 S:T ratio 21
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 1
📋 Attendance 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Booker High School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Florida schools.
- #5 of 5
- high schools in Sarasota · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.7:1
- large classes for Florida
- 59.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Booker High School has class sizes larger than 75% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Booker High School ranks #5 of 5 high schools in Sarasota, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
75.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.7:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.4%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Booker High School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Booker High School
Booker High School is a higher-need, large high school in Sarasota, Florida, enrolling 1,479 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 19.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 59.4% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Florida, bigger than 91% of state schools at 1,479 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 414 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #208.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (49%) and African American (22%) (diversity index 67/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 493 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.1% 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 Booker High 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 Booker High School compares
Booker High 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 | 19.7:1 | ▲ 11% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.4% | ▲ 14% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,479 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.7:1
Leaner classes than 17% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,479
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.7:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 75% in Florida - lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
28.1%
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 493 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
91
in-school suspensions + 75 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.2 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 48.5%
African American 22.3%
White 21.0%
Two or More 6.6%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 48.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.6, Booker High School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sarasota, which includes Booker High 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 Booker High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverview High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Venice Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Port High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sarasota High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pine View School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Booker High 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 high 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 (~1,479 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Booker High School's federal record.
- Compare Booker High 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 Booker High School
How many students attend Booker High School?
Booker High School has 1,479 students enrolled. It is a high school in Sarasota, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Booker High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Booker High School is 19.7:1, which is 11% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Booker High School?
59.4% of students at Booker High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Booker High School?
The largest demographic group at Booker High School is Hispanic or Latino at 48.5% of enrollment, in Sarasota, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Booker High School?
Booker High School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Booker High School rank among high schools in Sarasota?
By Resource Investment Index, Booker High School ranks #5 of 5 high 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 high schools in Sarasota on the city page.
Is Booker High School a good school?
Booker High School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% 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 Booker High 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.