Enrollment
596
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Sarasota, FL
Gulf Gate Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Gulf Gate Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120168001854
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gulf Gate Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Florida schools.
- #16 of 26
- schools in Sarasota · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.4:1
- small classes for Florida
- 45.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Gulf Gate Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 88% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gulf Gate Elementary School ranks #16 of 26 schools in Sarasota, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.0%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gulf Gate Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gulf Gate Elementary School
Gulf Gate Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Sarasota, Florida, enrolling 596 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.4:1, Gulf Gate Elementary School is leaner than roughly 88% of Florida schools and 30% under the state's 17.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 45.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 596 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 731 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #199.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 596 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Sarasota also operates Riverview High School (2,637 students) and Venice Senior High School (2,579 students) alongside Gulf Gate 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 Gulf Gate Elementary School compares
Gulf Gate 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 | 12.4:1 | ▼ 30% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.0% | ▼ 13% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 596 | top 50% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
596
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
45.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 13% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 12% in Florida - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
23.2%
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
$12,753
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 596 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 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 62.2%
Hispanic or Latino 27.3%
Two or More 6.5%
African American 2.9%
Asian 1.0%
Largest group: White at 62.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.3, Gulf Gate Elementary School is about as mixed as the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sarasota, which includes Gulf Gate Elementary School.
$12,753
Per student
+14%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 77.1%
State 11.5%
Federal 11.3%
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 Gulf Gate Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverview High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Venice Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Port High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sarasota High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pine View School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gulf Gate Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,637
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 2,579
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,557
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,359
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,752
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
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 (~596 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gulf Gate Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Gulf Gate Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Sarasota'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 Gulf Gate Elementary School
How many students attend Gulf Gate Elementary School?
Gulf Gate Elementary School has 596 students enrolled. It is a public school in Sarasota, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gulf Gate Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gulf Gate Elementary School is 12.4:1, which is 30% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 21% 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 Gulf Gate Elementary School?
45.0% of students at Gulf Gate Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gulf Gate Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Gulf Gate Elementary School is White at 62.2% of enrollment, in Sarasota, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gulf Gate Elementary School?
Gulf Gate Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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).
How does Gulf Gate Elementary School rank among schools in Sarasota?
By Resource Investment Index, Gulf Gate Elementary School ranks #16 of 26 schools in Sarasota, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Sarasota on the city page.
Is Gulf Gate Elementary School a good school?
Gulf Gate Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Florida schools. 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 Sarasota?
Besides Gulf Gate Elementary School, Sarasota also operates Riverview High School (2,637 students), Venice Senior High School (2,579 students), and North Port High School (2,557 students). See the Sarasota 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.