Enrollment
25
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lakeland, FL
Eckerd Connects
Federal NCES profile for Eckerd Connects, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120159008762
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Eckerd Connects earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the smallest schools in Florida.
- #25 of 38
- schools in Lakeland · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 84.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 25
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Eckerd Connects ranks #25 of 38 schools in Lakeland, FL.
School address
Free-lunch eligible
84.0%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+62% vs state
What stands out at Eckerd Connects
Eckerd Connects is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Lakeland, Florida, enrolling 25 students.
Economic need is high: 84.0% of students qualify for free meals, 62% above the Florida average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 96% of Florida schools, with 25 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Among 29 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #22, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Polk also operates Haines City Senior High School (3,105 students) and Davenport High School (2,731 students) alongside Eckerd Connects.
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 Eckerd Connects compares
Eckerd Connects on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.0% | ▲ 62% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 25 | top 96% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
25
Bigger than 3% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 62% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk, which includes Eckerd Connects.
$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 Eckerd Connects Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haines City Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Davenport High School | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Winter Haven Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Ridge Community High School | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| George W. Jenkins Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Eckerd Connects'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.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Eckerd Connects's federal record.
- Compare Eckerd Connects 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 Eckerd Connects
How many students attend Eckerd Connects?
Eckerd Connects has 25 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Lakeland, FL.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Eckerd Connects?
84.0% of students at Eckerd Connects are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Eckerd Connects?
Eckerd Connects has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 1 factor: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Eckerd Connects rank among schools in Lakeland?
By Resource Investment Index, Eckerd Connects ranks #25 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 Eckerd Connects a good school?
Eckerd Connects earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the smallest schools in Florida. 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 Eckerd Connects, 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.