Enrollment
430
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120126001261
Fessenden Elementary School — Ocala, FL
Federal NCES profile for Fessenden Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 24/100.
👥 Class size 12
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 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)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.9:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.3%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fessenden Elementary 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
Fessenden Elementary School reports 430 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 20% 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 38% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 75.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 45% above the Florida average and 45% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 430 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 45.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Marion spends $11,790 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.3% from local sources (property taxes), 43.3% from the state, and 21.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (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 Fessenden Elementary 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 | 21.9:1 | ▲ 20% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.3% | ▲ 45% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 430 | top 32% | — | — |
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
75.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 45% 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
21.9:1
students per teacher
— 20% above state mean
Top 86% in Florida — lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
45.3%
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
$11,790
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 430 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
57
in-school suspensions + 46 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 430 Top 32% in Florida — larger than 68% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 21.9:1 +20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 75.3% +45% vs state
NCES ID 120126001261
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 38.1%
African American 29.8%
White 26.0%
Two or More 5.6%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 38.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 430:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 45.3%
In-school suspensions 57
Out-of-school suspensions 46
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Marion, which includes Fessenden Elementary School.
$11,790
Per student
-8%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.3%
State 43.3%
Federal 21.4%
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
- 3,022
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Enrollment
- 2,387
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,904
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,684
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,600
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
Similar other schools in Ocala
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Sunrise Elementary School
Standard public school
1,402 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Marion Oaks Elementary School
Standard public school
1,196 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Hammett Bowen Jr. Elementary School
Standard public school
1,010 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Saddlewood Elementary School
Standard public school
1,007 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Ward-Highlands Elementary School
Standard public school
908 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
College Park Elementary School
Standard public school
873 students 17.5:1 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 Fessenden Elementary School
How many students attend Fessenden Elementary School?
Fessenden Elementary School has 430 students enrolled. It is a other school in OCALA, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fessenden Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Fessenden Elementary School is 21.9:1, which is 20% higher than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Fessenden Elementary School?
75.3% of students at Fessenden Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fessenden Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Fessenden Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 38.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in OCALA, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fessenden Elementary School?
Fessenden Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (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.