Enrollment
180
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Tampa, FL
Desoto Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Desoto Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120087000941
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Desoto Elementary School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of Florida schools.
- #21 of 101
- schools in Tampa · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.6:1
- small classes for Florida
- 74.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Desoto Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 93% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Desoto Elementary School ranks #21 of 101 schools in Tampa, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.6:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.2%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desoto Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Desoto Elementary School
Desoto Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Tampa, Florida, enrolling 180 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.6:1, Desoto Elementary School is leaner than roughly 93% of Florida schools and 40% under the state's 17.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 74.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 180 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 127 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #37.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (74%) and African American (16%) (diversity index 41/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 180 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Hillsborough also operates Florida Connections Academy (5,748 students) and Jule F Sumner High School (3,602 students) alongside Desoto Elementary 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 Desoto Elementary School compares
Desoto Elementary 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 | 10.6:1 | ▼ 40% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.2% | ▲ 43% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 180 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.6:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
180
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 43% 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
10.6:1
students per teacher
- 40% below state mean
Top 7% in Florida - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
48.9%
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
$9,835
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 180 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.4 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 74.4%
African American 15.6%
White 8.9%
Two or More 1.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 74.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.4, Desoto Elementary School is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hillsborough, which includes Desoto Elementary School.
$9,835
Per student
-12%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Desoto Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Connections Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jule F Sumner High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Newsome High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Alonso High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Plant City High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Desoto Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 5,748
- Students per teacher
- 40.5:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,602
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 3,157
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 2,863
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,572
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
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 (~180 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Desoto Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Desoto Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Hillsborough'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 Desoto Elementary School
How many students attend Desoto Elementary School?
Desoto Elementary School has 180 students enrolled. It is a public school in Tampa, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desoto Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Desoto Elementary School is 10.6:1, which is 40% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 32% 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 Desoto Elementary School?
74.2% of students at Desoto Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desoto Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Desoto Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 74.4% of enrollment, in Tampa, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desoto Elementary School?
Desoto Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical 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 Desoto Elementary School rank among schools in Tampa?
By Resource Investment Index, Desoto Elementary School ranks #21 of 101 schools in Tampa, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Tampa on the city page.
Is Desoto Elementary School a good school?
Desoto Elementary School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% 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 Hillsborough?
Besides Desoto Elementary School, Hillsborough also operates Florida Connections Academy (5,748 students), Jule F Sumner High School (3,602 students), and Newsome High School (3,157 students). See the Hillsborough 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.