Enrollment
433
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Sarasota, FL
Imagine School at Palmer Ranch
Federal NCES profile for Imagine School at Palmer Ranch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120168007717Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Imagine School at Palmer Ranch earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Florida schools.
- #7 of 26
- schools in Sarasota · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.4:1
- small classes for Florida
- 6.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Imagine School at Palmer Ranch has class sizes smaller than 73% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Imagine School at Palmer Ranch ranks #7 of 26 schools in Sarasota, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
6.5%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-88% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Imagine School at Palmer Ranch compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Imagine School at Palmer Ranch
Imagine School at Palmer Ranch is a lower-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Sarasota, Florida, enrolling 433 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 6.5% free-meal eligibility runs 88% below the Florida average.
Enrollment of 433 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 114 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #46.
Its student body is led by White (49%) and Hispanic or Latino (41%) (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 433 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
12.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Sarasota also operates Riverview High School (2,637 students) and Venice Senior High School (2,579 students) alongside Imagine School at Palmer Ranch.
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 Imagine School at Palmer Ranch compares
Imagine School at Palmer Ranch on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.4:1 | ▼ 19% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 6.5% | ▼ 88% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 433 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
433
Bigger than 52% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
6.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 88% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.4:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 27% in Florida - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
12.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 433 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.7 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 48.5%
Hispanic or Latino 41.1%
Two or More 5.1%
Asian 3.0%
African American 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 48.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.2, Imagine School at Palmer Ranch 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 Imagine School at Palmer Ranch.
$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 Imagine School at Palmer Ranch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverview High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Venice Senior High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Port High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sarasota High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pine View School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Imagine School at Palmer Ranch'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 other 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 (~433 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Imagine School at Palmer Ranch's federal record.
- Compare Imagine School at Palmer Ranch 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 Imagine School at Palmer Ranch
How many students attend Imagine School at Palmer Ranch?
Imagine School at Palmer Ranch has 433 students enrolled. It is a public school in Sarasota, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Imagine School at Palmer Ranch?
The student-teacher ratio at Imagine School at Palmer Ranch is 14.4:1, which is 19% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 8% lower 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 Imagine School at Palmer Ranch?
6.5% of students at Imagine School at Palmer Ranch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Imagine School at Palmer Ranch?
The largest demographic group at Imagine School at Palmer Ranch is White at 48.5% of enrollment, in Sarasota, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Imagine School at Palmer Ranch?
Imagine School at Palmer Ranch has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 Imagine School at Palmer Ranch rank among schools in Sarasota?
By Resource Investment Index, Imagine School at Palmer Ranch ranks #7 of 26 schools in Sarasota, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Sarasota on the city page.
Is Imagine School at Palmer Ranch a good school?
Imagine School at Palmer Ranch earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Florida schools. 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 Imagine School at Palmer Ranch, 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.