Enrollment
857
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120111001186
Gilchrist Elementary School — Tallahassee, FL
Federal NCES profile for Gilchrist Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 5
📋 Attendance 77
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)
54.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.1%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gilchrist 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
Gilchrist Elementary School reports 857 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 54.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% below the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 19.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 63% below the Florida average and 63% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 476 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 9.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Leon spends $12,011 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 42.6% from local sources (property taxes), 39.3% from the state, and 18.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), 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 Gilchrist 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 | 16:1 | ▼ 13% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.1% | ▼ 63% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 857 | top 73% | — | — |
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
19.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 63% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
— 13% below state mean
Top 40% in Florida — lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
9.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$12,011
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
Counselors1.8 FTE
Per 476 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 857 Top 73% in Florida — larger than 27% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 54.0
Students per teacher 16:1 -13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 19.1% -63% vs state
NCES ID 120111001186
Student demographics
White 59.6%
African American 13.3%
Hispanic or Latino 11.3%
Two or More 8.2%
Asian 6.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 59.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.8
Students per counselor 476:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 9.1%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Leon, which includes Gilchrist Elementary School.
$12,011
Per student
-6%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 42.6%
State 39.3%
Federal 18.1%
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
- 1,881
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,822
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,793
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,718
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,388
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
Similar other schools in Tallahassee
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Florida State University School
Standard public school
1,851 students
Roberts Elementary School
Standard public school
807 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Hawks Rise Elementary School
Standard public school
752 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Killearn Lakes Elementary School
Standard public school
740 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Kate Sullivan Elementary School
Standard public school
737 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Buck Lake Elementary School
Standard public school
696 students 15.9:1 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 Gilchrist Elementary School
How many students attend Gilchrist Elementary School?
Gilchrist Elementary School has 857 students enrolled. It is a other school in TALLAHASSEE, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gilchrist Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gilchrist Elementary School is 16:1, which is 13% lower than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gilchrist Elementary School?
19.1% of students at Gilchrist Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gilchrist Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Gilchrist Elementary School is White at 59.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in TALLAHASSEE, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gilchrist Elementary School?
Gilchrist Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) 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.