Enrollment
657
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 120087000934
Dowdell Middle Magnet School — Tampa, FL
Federal NCES profile for Dowdell Middle Magnet School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 31/100.
👥 Class size 19
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 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
District: Hillsborough · Florida
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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.2:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.4%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dowdell Middle Magnet 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
Dowdell Middle Magnet School reports 657 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 27% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 73.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% above the Florida average and 42% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 329 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 54.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hillsborough spends $11,744 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 43.2% from local sources (property taxes), 40.7% from the state, and 16.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F), 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 Dowdell Middle Magnet 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 | 20.2:1 | ▲ 10% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.4% | ▲ 41% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 657 | top 56% | — | — |
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
73.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% 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
20.2:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 78% in Florida — lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
54.9%
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
$11,744
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 329 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
128
in-school suspensions + 128 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 39.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 10 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 657 Top 56% in Florida — larger than 44% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 20.2:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 73.4% +41% vs state
NCES ID 120087000934
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 57.5%
African American 24.2%
White 13.9%
Two or More 3.7%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 57.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 329:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 54.9%
In-school suspensions 128
Out-of-school suspensions 128
Expulsions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hillsborough, which includes Dowdell Middle Magnet School.
$11,744
Per student
-8%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 5,748
- Students per teacher
- 36.1:1
- Enrollment
- 3,602
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
- Enrollment
- 3,157
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,863
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,572
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
Similar middle schools in Tampa
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Farnell Middle School
Standard public school
1,184 students 21.7:1 students per teacher
Memorial Middle School
Standard public school
973 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Davidsen Middle School
Standard public school
969 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Buchanan Middle School
Standard public school
928 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
Benito Middle School
Standard public school
903 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Coleman Middle School
Standard public school
860 students 19.4:1 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 Dowdell Middle Magnet School
How many students attend Dowdell Middle Magnet School?
Dowdell Middle Magnet School has 657 students enrolled. It is a middle school in TAMPA, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dowdell Middle Magnet School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dowdell Middle Magnet School is 20.2:1, which is 10% higher than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 27% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dowdell Middle Magnet School?
73.4% of students at Dowdell Middle Magnet School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dowdell Middle Magnet School?
The largest demographic group at Dowdell Middle Magnet School is Hispanic or Latino at 57.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in TAMPA, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dowdell Middle Magnet School?
Dowdell Middle Magnet School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F) 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.