Enrollment
730
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120027002426
Hernando Elementary School — Hernando, FL
Federal NCES profile for Hernando Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 8
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)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.3%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hernando 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
Hernando Elementary School reports 730 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 51.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.9:1 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 0% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 65.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 26% above the Florida average and 26% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 730 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Citrus spends $11,891 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.1% from local sources (property taxes), 34.9% from the state, and 24.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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 Hernando 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 | 15.9:1 | ▼ 13% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.3% | ▲ 26% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 730 | top 64% | — | — |
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
65.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 26% 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
15.9:1
students per teacher
— 13% below state mean
Top 39% in Florida — lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
36.7%
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
$11,891
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 730 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
39
in-school suspensions + 48 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 730 Top 64% in Florida — larger than 36% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 51.0
Students per teacher 15.9:1 -13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 65.3% +26% vs state
NCES ID 120027002426
Student demographics
White 72.7%
Hispanic or Latino 13.2%
Two or More 7.3%
African American 5.2%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 72.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 730:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.7%
In-school suspensions 39
Out-of-school suspensions 48
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Citrus, which includes Hernando Elementary School.
$11,891
Per student
-7%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 40.1%
State 34.9%
Federal 24.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,735
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,465
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Enrollment
- 911
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 906
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
Similar other schools in Hernando
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Hernando Elementary School
How many students attend Hernando Elementary School?
Hernando Elementary School has 730 students enrolled. It is a other school in HERNANDO, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hernando Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Hernando Elementary School is 15.9:1, which is 13% lower than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 0% 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 Hernando Elementary School?
65.3% of students at Hernando Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hernando Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Hernando Elementary School is White at 72.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in HERNANDO, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hernando Elementary School?
Hernando Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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.