Enrollment
84
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lakeland, FL
Doris a. Sanders Learning Center
Federal NCES profile for Doris a. Sanders Learning Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120159002402
👥 S:T ratio 79
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 83
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Doris a. Sanders Learning Center earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of Florida schools.
- #10 of 38
- schools in Lakeland · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 5.3:1
- small classes for Florida
- 55.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Doris a. Sanders Learning Center has class sizes smaller than 98% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Doris a. Sanders Learning Center ranks #10 of 38 schools in Lakeland, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5.3:1
vs 17.8:1 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
What stands out at Doris a. Sanders Learning Center
Doris a. Sanders Learning Center is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Lakeland, Florida, enrolling 84 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 5.3:1, Doris a. Sanders Learning Center is leaner than roughly 98% of Florida schools and 70% under the state's 17.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 55.2% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 84 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 60 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #21.
Its student body is led by White (44%) and African American (24%) (diversity index 70/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 84 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 91.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 19 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 84 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Polk also operates Haines City Senior High School (3,105 students) and Davenport High School (2,731 students) alongside Doris a. Sanders Learning Center.
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 Doris a. Sanders Learning Center compares
Doris a. Sanders Learning Center on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 5.3:1 | ▼ 70% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.2% | ▲ 6% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 84 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
5.3:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
84
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
5.3:1
students per teacher
- 70% below state mean
Top 2% in Florida - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
91.7%
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
$11,454
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
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 69.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.5, Doris a. Sanders Learning Center is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk, which includes Doris a. Sanders Learning Center.
$11,454
Per student
+3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Doris a. Sanders Learning Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haines City Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Davenport High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Winter Haven Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ridge Community High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| George W. Jenkins Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Doris a. Sanders Learning Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,105
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,731
- Students per teacher
- 32.1:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 2,648
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 2,632
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,469
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
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 (~84 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Doris a. Sanders Learning Center's federal record.
- Compare Doris a. Sanders Learning Center against another school. Compare schools
- Polk'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 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 special-education 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 5.3:1, which is 70% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 66% 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 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% of enrollment, in Lakeland, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.5/100.
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 (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 Doris a. Sanders Learning Center rank among schools in Lakeland?
By Resource Investment Index, Doris a. Sanders Learning Center ranks #10 of 38 schools in Lakeland, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Lakeland on the city page.
Is Doris a. Sanders Learning Center a good school?
Doris a. Sanders Learning Center earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% 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 Polk?
Besides Doris a. Sanders Learning Center, Polk also operates Haines City Senior High School (3,105 students), Davenport High School (2,731 students), and Winter Haven Senior High School (2,648 students). See the Polk 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.