Enrollment
652
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Tallahassee, FL
Desoto Trail Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Desoto Trail Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120111002679
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Desoto Trail Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #10 of 37
- schools in Tallahassee · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.5:1
- students per teacher
- 16.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Desoto Trail Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Desoto Trail Elementary School ranks #10 of 37 schools in Tallahassee, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.4%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-68% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desoto Trail Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Desoto Trail Elementary School
Desoto Trail Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Tallahassee, Florida, enrolling 652 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 16.4% free-meal eligibility runs 68% below the Florida average.
With 652 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.
Against 299 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #101.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (11%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 652 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 18.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Leon also operates Lawton Chiles High School (1,881 students) and Lincoln High School (1,822 students) alongside Desoto Trail 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 Trail Elementary School compares
Desoto Trail 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 | 15.5:1 | ▼ 13% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.4% | ▼ 68% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 652 | top 44% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.5:1
Leaner classes than 42% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
652
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
16.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 68% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.5:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 39% in Florida - lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
10.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$10,180
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 652 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 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
White 70.2%
Hispanic or Latino 10.9%
African American 8.7%
Two or More 6.0%
Asian 4.1%
Largest group: White at 70.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.2, Desoto Trail 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 Leon, which includes Desoto Trail Elementary School.
$10,180
Per student
-9%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.6%
State 39.3%
Federal 18.1%
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 Trail Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawton Chiles High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lincoln High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Leon High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James Rickards High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Amos P. Godby High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Desoto Trail Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,881
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,822
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,793
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 1,718
- Students per teacher
- 26.8:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 1,388
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
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 (~652 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Desoto Trail Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Desoto Trail Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Leon'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 Trail Elementary School
How many students attend Desoto Trail Elementary School?
Desoto Trail Elementary School has 652 students enrolled. It is a public school in Tallahassee, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desoto Trail Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Desoto Trail Elementary School is 15.5:1, which is 13% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 1% 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 Trail Elementary School?
16.4% of students at Desoto Trail Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desoto Trail Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Desoto Trail Elementary School is White at 70.2% of enrollment, in Tallahassee, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desoto Trail Elementary School?
Desoto Trail Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Trail Elementary School rank among schools in Tallahassee?
By Resource Investment Index, Desoto Trail Elementary School ranks #10 of 37 schools in Tallahassee, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Tallahassee on the city page.
Is Desoto Trail Elementary School a good school?
Desoto Trail Elementary School earns 46/100 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 Leon?
Besides Desoto Trail Elementary School, Leon also operates Lawton Chiles High School (1,881 students), Lincoln High School (1,822 students), and Leon High School (1,793 students). See the Leon 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.