Enrollment
958
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120075000878
Hardee Junior High School — Wauchula, FL
Federal NCES profile for Hardee Junior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 0
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)
62.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.6%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hardee Junior High 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
Hardee Junior High School reports 958 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 62.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% above the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 69.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 34% above the Florida average and 34% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 479 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 52.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hardee spends $11,569 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.6% from local sources (property taxes), 50.7% from the state, and 25.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F), 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 Hardee Junior High 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 | 18.4:1 | ▲ 1% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.6% | ▲ 34% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 958 | top 79% | — | — |
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
69.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 34% 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
18.4:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 65% in Florida — lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
52.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,569
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 479 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 165 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 958 Top 79% in Florida — larger than 21% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 62.0
Students per teacher 18.4:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 69.6% +34% vs state
NCES ID 120075000878
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 64.1%
White 27.3%
African American 6.2%
Two or More 1.8%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 64.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 479:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 52.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 165
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hardee, which includes Hardee Junior High School.
$11,569
Per student
-9%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 23.6%
State 50.7%
Federal 25.8%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,347
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Enrollment
- 577
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 516
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 512
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 298
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
Similar other schools in Wauchula
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Wauchula Elementary School
Standard public school
577 students 15:1 students per teacher
North Wauchula Elementary School
Standard public school
516 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Hilltop Elementary School
Standard public school
298 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Hardee Virtual Franchise
Standard public school
52 students
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 Hardee Junior High School
How many students attend Hardee Junior High School?
Hardee Junior High School has 958 students enrolled. It is a other school in WAUCHULA, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hardee Junior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Hardee Junior High School is 18.4:1, which is 1% higher than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hardee Junior High School?
69.6% of students at Hardee Junior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hardee Junior High School?
The largest demographic group at Hardee Junior High School is Hispanic or Latino at 64.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in WAUCHULA, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hardee Junior High School?
Hardee Junior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) 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.