Enrollment
51
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120042006813
Desoto Secondary School — Arcadia, FL
Federal NCES profile for Desoto Secondary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 10/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
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
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)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
34.5:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
+89% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
82.6%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desoto Secondary 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
Desoto Secondary School reports 51 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 2.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 34.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 89% above the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 117% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 82.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 59% above the Florida average and 59% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Desoto spends $12,825 per pupil district-wide, above the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.4% from local sources (property taxes), 47.5% from the state, and 28.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Desoto Secondary 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 | 34.5:1 | ▲ 89% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 82.6% | ▲ 59% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 51 | top 7% | — | — |
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
82.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 59% 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
34.5:1
students per teacher
— 89% above state mean
Top 97% in Florida — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
100.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,825
per pupil, district-wide
— above Florida avg of $12,756
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints 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 + 42 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 82.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 7 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 51 Top 7% in Florida — larger than 93% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 2.0
Students per teacher 34.5:1 +89% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 82.6% +59% vs state
NCES ID 120042006813
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 49.0%
African American 29.4%
White 15.7%
Two or More 3.9%
Asian 2.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 49.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 42
Expulsions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Desoto, which includes Desoto Secondary School.
$12,825
Per student
+1%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 24.4%
State 47.5%
Federal 28.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,215
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 922
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 861
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 622
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 475
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
Similar other schools in Arcadia
5 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Memorial Elementary School
Standard public school
861 students 18:1 students per teacher
West Elementary School
Standard public school
622 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
Desoto Virtual Academy
Standard public school
53 students 26.5:1 students per teacher
Reduced Services
Alternative education program
9 students
Teen Paren Pk Child Care Program
Standard public school
3 students
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 Desoto Secondary School
How many students attend Desoto Secondary School?
Desoto Secondary School has 51 students enrolled. It is a other school in ARCADIA, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desoto Secondary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Desoto Secondary School is 34.5:1, which is 89% higher than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 117% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Desoto Secondary School?
82.6% of students at Desoto Secondary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desoto Secondary School?
The largest demographic group at Desoto Secondary School is Hispanic or Latino at 49.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in ARCADIA, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desoto Secondary School?
Desoto Secondary School has a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.