Enrollment
84
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120159002402
Doris a. Sanders Learning Center — Lakeland, FL
Federal NCES profile for Doris a. Sanders Learning Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 78
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 83
📋 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)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5.4:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
-70% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.2%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Doris a. Sanders Learning Center 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
Doris a. Sanders Learning Center reports 84 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 16.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 5.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 70% below the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 66% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 55.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 6% above the Florida average and 7% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 84 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 91.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Polk spends $12,580 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.2% from local sources (property taxes), 43.8% from the state, and 21.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Doris a. Sanders Learning Center 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 | 5.4:1 | ▼ 70% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.2% | ▲ 6% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 84 | top 10% | — | — |
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
55.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 6% 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
5.4:1
students per teacher
— 70% below state mean
Top 2% in Florida — lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
91.7%
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
$12,580
per pupil, district-wide
— below Florida avg of $12,756
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 84 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 84 Top 10% in Florida — larger than 90% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 16.0
Students per teacher 5.4:1 -70% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 55.2% +6% vs state
NCES ID 120159002402
Student demographics
White 44.0%
African American 23.8%
Hispanic or Latino 22.6%
Two or More 4.8%
Asian 3.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.2%
Largest group: White at 44.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 84:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 91.7%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 18
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk, which includes Doris a. Sanders Learning Center.
$12,580
Per student
-1%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.2%
State 43.8%
Federal 21.0%
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
- 3,105
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,731
- Students per teacher
- 27.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,648
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,632
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,469
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
Similar other schools in Lakeland
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Mckeel Academy of Technology
Standard public school
1,750 students 22.4:1 students per teacher
South Mckeel Academy
Standard public school
1,200 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School
Standard public school
899 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Valleyview Elementary School
Standard public school
783 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Wendell Watson Elementary School
Standard public school
764 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Rochelle School of the Arts
Standard public school
762 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
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 Doris a. Sanders Learning Center
How many students attend Doris a. Sanders Learning Center?
Doris a. Sanders Learning Center has 84 students enrolled. It is a other school in LAKELAND, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Doris a. Sanders Learning Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Doris a. Sanders Learning Center is 5.4:1, which is 70% lower than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 66% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Doris a. Sanders Learning Center?
55.2% of students at Doris a. Sanders Learning Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Doris a. Sanders Learning Center?
The largest demographic group at Doris a. Sanders Learning Center is White at 44.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in LAKELAND, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Doris a. Sanders Learning Center?
Doris a. Sanders Learning Center has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.