Enrollment
689
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Port Richey, FL
Gulf Highlands Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Gulf Highlands Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120153006288
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gulf Highlands Elementary School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #4 of 4
- schools in Port Richey · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.3:1
- students per teacher
- 82.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Gulf Highlands Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gulf Highlands Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 schools in Port Richey, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
82.2%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+58% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gulf Highlands Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gulf Highlands Elementary School
Gulf Highlands Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Port Richey, Florida, enrolling 689 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 82.2% of students qualify for free meals, 58% above the Florida average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 689 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Among 566 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #408, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (50%) and Hispanic or Latino (31%) (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 689 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 53.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Pasco also operates Land O' Lakes High School (2,233 students) and Wiregrass Ranch High School (2,218 students) alongside Gulf Highlands 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 Highlands Elementary School compares
Gulf Highlands 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 | 15.3:1 | ▼ 14% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 82.2% | ▲ 58% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 689 | top 40% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
689
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
82.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 58% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.3:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 37% in Florida - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
53.7%
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
$9,640
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 689 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
35
in-school suspensions + 39 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.7 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 50.4%
Hispanic or Latino 31.2%
Two or More 10.3%
African American 7.0%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 50.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.3, Gulf Highlands Elementary School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pasco, which includes Gulf Highlands Elementary School.
$9,640
Per student
-14%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.3%
State 45.9%
Federal 17.8%
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 Highlands Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land O' Lakes High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wiregrass Ranch High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sunlake High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James W. Mitchell High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cypress Creek High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gulf Highlands Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,233
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 2,218
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,206
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,201
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 2,006
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
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 (~689 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gulf Highlands Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Gulf Highlands Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Pasco'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 Highlands Elementary School
How many students attend Gulf Highlands Elementary School?
Gulf Highlands Elementary School has 689 students enrolled. It is a public school in Port Richey, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gulf Highlands Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gulf Highlands Elementary School is 15.3:1, which is 14% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 3% 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 Highlands Elementary School?
82.2% of students at Gulf Highlands Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gulf Highlands Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Gulf Highlands Elementary School is White at 50.4% of enrollment, in Port Richey, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gulf Highlands Elementary School?
Gulf Highlands Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower 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 Highlands Elementary School rank among schools in Port Richey?
By Resource Investment Index, Gulf Highlands Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 schools in Port Richey, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Port Richey on the city page.
Is Gulf Highlands Elementary School a good school?
Gulf Highlands Elementary School earns 27/100 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 Pasco?
Besides Gulf Highlands Elementary School, Pasco also operates Land O' Lakes High School (2,233 students), Wiregrass Ranch High School (2,218 students), and Sunlake High School (2,206 students). See the Pasco 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.