Enrollment
724
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Sarasota, FL
Brookside Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Brookside Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 120168001841
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Brookside Middle School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #1 of 5
- middle schools in Sarasota · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.4:1
- students per teacher
- 56.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Brookside Middle School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Brookside Middle School ranks #1 of 5 middle schools in Sarasota, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.1%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Brookside Middle School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Brookside Middle School
Brookside Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Sarasota, Florida, enrolling 724 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 56.1% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 724 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Among 1,028 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #14, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (41%) and Hispanic or Latino (40%) (diversity index 66/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 181 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 150 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 724 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Sarasota also operates Riverview High School (2,637 students) and Venice Senior High School (2,579 students) alongside Brookside Middle 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 Brookside Middle School compares
Brookside Middle 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 | 15.4:1 | ▼ 13% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.1% | ▲ 8% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 724 | top 37% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.4:1
Leaner classes than 43% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
724
Bigger than 82% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
56.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% 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
15.4:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 38% in Florida - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
26.1%
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 181 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
57
in-school suspensions + 93 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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
White 40.7%
Hispanic or Latino 40.2%
African American 11.9%
Two or More 5.8%
Asian 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 40.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.5, Brookside Middle 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 Brookside Middle 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 Brookside Middle 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 Brookside Middle 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 middle 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 (~724 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Brookside Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Brookside Middle 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 Brookside Middle School
How many students attend Brookside Middle School?
Brookside Middle School has 724 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Sarasota, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Brookside Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Brookside Middle School is 15.4:1, which is 13% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 2% 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 Brookside Middle School?
56.1% of students at Brookside Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Brookside Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Brookside Middle School is White at 40.7% of enrollment, in Sarasota, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Brookside Middle School?
Brookside Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher 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 Brookside Middle School rank among middle schools in Sarasota?
By Resource Investment Index, Brookside Middle School ranks #1 of 5 middle 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 middle schools in Sarasota on the city page.
Is Brookside Middle School a good school?
Brookside Middle School earns 52/100 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 Sarasota?
Besides Brookside Middle 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.