Enrollment
24
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Sarasota, FL
Children First
Federal NCES profile for Children First, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120168004208
👥 S:T ratio 84
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Children First earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Florida schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Florida.
- #6 of 26
- schools in Sarasota · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 4:1
- small classes for Florida
- 24
- students enrolled
Children First has class sizes smaller than 99% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Children First ranks #6 of 26 schools in Sarasota, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
4:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-78% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Children First compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Children First
Children First is a small combined-grade school in Sarasota, Florida, enrolling 24 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 4:1, Children First is leaner than roughly 99% of Florida schools and 78% under the state's 17.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 96% of Florida schools, with 24 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 93% of the 3,996 Florida schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 45/100).
Sarasota also operates Riverview High School (2,637 students) and Venice Senior High School (2,579 students) alongside Children First.
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 Children First compares
Children First on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 4:1 | ▼ 78% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 24 | top 96% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
4:1
Leaner classes than 99% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
24
Bigger than 3% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
4:1
students per teacher
- 78% below state mean
Top 1% in Florida - lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
White 70.8%
Hispanic or Latino 20.8%
African American 8.3%
Largest group: White at 70.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.9, Children First is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sarasota, which includes Children First.
$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 Children First Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverview High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Venice Senior High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Port High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sarasota High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pine View School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Children First'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 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 (~24 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Children First's federal record.
- Compare Children First 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 Children First
How many students attend Children First?
Children First has 24 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Sarasota, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Children First?
The student-teacher ratio at Children First is 4:1, which is 78% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 75% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Children First?
The largest demographic group at Children First is White at 70.8% of enrollment, in Sarasota, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Children First?
Children First has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Children First rank among schools in Sarasota?
By Resource Investment Index, Children First ranks #6 of 26 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 schools in Sarasota on the city page.
Is Children First a good school?
Children First earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Florida schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Florida. 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 Children First, 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.