Enrollment
731
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fort Meade, FL
Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School
Federal NCES profile for Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120159001743
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 2
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.9:1
- students per teacher
- 67.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 731
- students enrolled
Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.7%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School
Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Fort Meade, Florida, enrolling 731 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 67.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 731 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 1,004 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #130.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (53%) and White (30%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 244 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.1% 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: 321 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 731 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Polk also operates Haines City Senior High School (3,105 students) and Davenport High School (2,731 students) alongside Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School.
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 Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School compares
Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.9:1 | ▼ 16% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.7% | ▲ 30% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 731 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.9:1
Leaner classes than 48% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
731
Bigger than 82% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
14.9:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 32% in Florida - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
39.1%
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 244 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
182
in-school suspensions + 139 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 24.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 43.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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
Hispanic or Latino 53.4%
White 29.5%
African American 14.6%
Two or More 1.9%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 53.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.6, Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk, which includes Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School.
$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 Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School 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 | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ridge Community High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| George W. Jenkins Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School'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 (~731 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School's federal record.
- Compare Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School 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 Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School
How many students attend Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School?
Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School has 731 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fort Meade, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School is 14.9:1, which is 16% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 5% 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 Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School?
67.7% of students at Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School?
The largest demographic group at Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School is Hispanic or Latino at 53.4% of enrollment, in Fort Meade, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School?
Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School a good school?
Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median. 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 Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School, 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.