Enrollment
599
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120033000346
Highlands Elementary School — Immokalee, FL
Federal NCES profile for Highlands Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 44
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)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.0%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highlands 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
Highlands Elementary School reports 599 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% 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 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 76.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% above the Florida average and 47% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 599 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Collier spends $15,281 per pupil district-wide, above the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 75.2% from local sources (property taxes), 11.3% from the state, and 13.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), 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 Highlands 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 | 13.4:1 | ▼ 27% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.0% | ▲ 46% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 599 | top 51% | — | — |
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
76.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% 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
13.4:1
students per teacher
— 27% below state mean
Top 13% in Florida — lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
22.4%
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
$15,281
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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 599 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
23
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 599 Top 51% in Florida — larger than 49% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 13.4:1 -27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 76.0% +46% vs state
NCES ID 120033000346
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 87.0%
African American 10.4%
White 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Two or More 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 87.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 599:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.4%
In-school suspensions 23
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Collier, which includes Highlands Elementary School.
$15,281
Per student
+20%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 75.2%
State 11.3%
Federal 13.6%
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
- 2,054
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,990
- Students per teacher
- 25.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,867
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,714
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,535
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
Similar other schools in Immokalee
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Lake Trafford Elementary School
Standard public school
717 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Eden Park Elementary School
Standard public school
646 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
Pinecrest Elementary School
Standard public school
584 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Village Oaks Elementary School
Standard public school
511 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
The Phoenix Program-Immokalee
Alternative education program
97 students 36.7:1 students per teacher
The Pace Program
Alternative education program
54 students 8:1 students per teacher
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 Highlands Elementary School
How many students attend Highlands Elementary School?
Highlands Elementary School has 599 students enrolled. It is a other school in IMMOKALEE, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highlands Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Highlands Elementary School is 13.4:1, which is 27% lower than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 16% lower 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 Highlands Elementary School?
76.0% of students at Highlands Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highlands Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Highlands Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 87.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in IMMOKALEE, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highlands Elementary School?
Highlands Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) 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.