Enrollment
945
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · North Port, FL
Heron Creek Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Heron Creek Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 120168003935
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 37
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Heron Creek Middle School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #3 of 9
- public schools in North Port · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16:1
- students per teacher
- 60.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Heron Creek Middle School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Heron Creek Middle School ranks #3 of 9 public schools in North Port, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.1%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heron Creek Middle School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Heron Creek Middle School
Heron Creek Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in North Port, Florida, enrolling 945 students.
At 16:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Florida median, within a few percentage points of the 17.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 60.1% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 945 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Among 873 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #52, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (60%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 315 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Sarasota also operates Riverview High School (2,637 students) and Venice Senior High School (2,579 students) alongside Heron Creek Middle 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 Heron Creek Middle School compares
Heron Creek Middle 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 | 16:1 | ▼ 10% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.1% | ▲ 16% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 945 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
945
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% 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
16:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 44% in Florida - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
25.3%
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 315 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
53
in-school suspensions + 83 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.4 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 60.3%
Hispanic or Latino 21.3%
Two or More 8.9%
African American 7.7%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 60.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.7, Heron Creek Middle School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sarasota, which includes Heron Creek Middle 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 Heron Creek Middle 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 | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sarasota High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pine View School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Heron Creek Middle 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 middle 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 (~945 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Heron Creek Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Heron Creek Middle 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 Heron Creek Middle School
How many students attend Heron Creek Middle School?
Heron Creek Middle School has 945 students enrolled. It is a middle school in North Port, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heron Creek Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Heron Creek Middle School is 16:1, which is 10% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 2% higher 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 Heron Creek Middle School?
60.1% of students at Heron Creek Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heron Creek Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Heron Creek Middle School is White at 60.3% of enrollment, in North Port, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heron Creek Middle School?
Heron Creek Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Heron Creek Middle School rank among public schools in North Port?
By Resource Investment Index, Heron Creek Middle School ranks #3 of 9 public schools in North Port, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in North Port on the city page.
Is Heron Creek Middle School a good school?
Heron Creek Middle School earns 45/100 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 Sarasota?
Besides Heron Creek Middle 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.