Enrollment
705
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 120150001481
Howell L. Watkins Middle School — Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Federal NCES profile for Howell L. Watkins Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 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
District: Palm Beach · Florida
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)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.2:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.1%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Howell L. Watkins Middle 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
Howell L. Watkins Middle School reports 705 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 60.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% 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 17% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 76.1% 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 176 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 54.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Palm Beach spends $14,596 per pupil district-wide, above the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 63.0% from local sources (property taxes), 21.7% from the state, and 15.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Howell L. Watkins Middle 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 | 13.2:1 | ▼ 28% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.1% | ▲ 46% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 705 | top 61% | — | — |
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
76.1%
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
13.2:1
students per teacher
— 28% below state mean
Top 12% in Florida — lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
54.3%
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
$14,596
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 176 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
51
in-school suspensions + 222 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 38.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 705 Top 61% in Florida — larger than 39% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 60.0
Students per teacher 13.2:1 -28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 76.1% +46% vs state
NCES ID 120150001481
Student demographics
African American 70.1%
Hispanic or Latino 18.6%
White 7.7%
Two or More 1.6%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 70.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 176:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 54.3%
In-school suspensions 51
Out-of-school suspensions 222
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palm Beach, which includes Howell L. Watkins Middle School.
$14,596
Per student
+14%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 63.0%
State 21.7%
Federal 15.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,262
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Enrollment
- 3,122
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,881
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,819
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,809
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
Similar middle schools in Palm Beach Gardens
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Howell L. Watkins Middle School
How many students attend Howell L. Watkins Middle School?
Howell L. Watkins Middle School has 705 students enrolled. It is a middle school in PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Howell L. Watkins Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Howell L. Watkins Middle School is 13.2:1, which is 28% lower than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 17% 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 Howell L. Watkins Middle School?
76.1% of students at Howell L. Watkins Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Howell L. Watkins Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Howell L. Watkins Middle School is African American at 70.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Howell L. Watkins Middle School?
Howell L. Watkins Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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.