Enrollment
672
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lakewood Ranch, FL
Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120123004110
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 29
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.6:1
- students per teacher
- 18.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 672
- students enrolled
Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
School address
NCES ID 120123004110 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
18.0%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School
Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, enrolling 672 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 18.0% free-meal eligibility runs 65% below the Florida average.
With 672 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Among 339 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #288, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 672 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Manatee also operates Lakewood Ranch High School (2,422 students) and Parrish Community High School (2,266 students) alongside Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary 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 Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School compares
Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary 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 | 15.6:1 | ▼ 12% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 18.0% | ▼ 65% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 672 | top 42% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
672
Bigger than 78% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
18.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 65% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.6:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 40% in Florida - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
28.4%
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
$10,900
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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 672 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 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 70.8%
Hispanic or Latino 16.2%
Two or More 5.5%
African American 5.4%
Asian 1.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 70.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.6, Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Manatee, which includes Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School.
$10,900
Per student
-2%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.3%
State 25.8%
Federal 15.9%
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 Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood Ranch High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Parrish Community High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Palmetto High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Manatee School for the Arts | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Manatee High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,422
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 2,266
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 2,185
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 2,051
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,998
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
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 (~672 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Manatee'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 Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School
How many students attend Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School?
Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School has 672 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lakewood Ranch, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School is 15.6:1, which is 12% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 1% 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 Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School?
18.0% of students at Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School is White at 70.8% of enrollment, in Lakewood Ranch, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School?
Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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).
Is Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School a good school?
Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School earns 34/100 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 Manatee?
Besides Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary School, Manatee also operates Lakewood Ranch High School (2,422 students), Parrish Community High School (2,266 students), and Palmetto High School (2,185 students). See the Manatee 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.