Enrollment
889
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Winter Garden, FL
Independence Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Independence Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 120144008330
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Independence Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #2 of 3
- elementary schools in Winter Garden · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.5:1
- students per teacher
- 17.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Independence Elementary has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Independence Elementary ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Winter Garden, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.6%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-66% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Independence Elementary compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Independence Elementary
Independence Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Winter Garden, Florida, enrolling 889 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 17.6% free-meal eligibility runs 66% below the Florida average.
Enrollment of 889 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Among 358 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #329, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (44%) and Hispanic or Latino (39%) (diversity index 64/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 889 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Orange also operates Apopka High (3,446 students) and Timber Creek High (3,383 students) alongside Independence Elementary.
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 Independence Elementary compares
Independence Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.5:1 | ▲ 4% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.6% | ▼ 66% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 889 | top 25% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
889
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 66% 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
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 67% in Florida - lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
30.0%
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
$11,578
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 889 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 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 44.2%
Hispanic or Latino 38.6%
Asian 9.8%
Two or More 4.3%
African American 3.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 44.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.3, Independence Elementary is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orange, which includes Independence Elementary.
$11,578
Per student
+4%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 53.2%
State 28.8%
Federal 18.0%
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 Independence Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apopka High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Timber Creek High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Winter Park High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Colonial High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Windermere High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Independence Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,446
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 3,383
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 3,277
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 3,239
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 3,217
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar elementary 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 (~889 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Independence Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Independence Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Orange'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 Independence Elementary
How many students attend Independence Elementary?
Independence Elementary has 889 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Winter Garden, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Independence Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Independence Elementary is 18.5:1, which is 4% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Independence Elementary?
17.6% of students at Independence Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Independence Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Independence Elementary is White at 44.2% of enrollment, in Winter Garden, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Independence Elementary?
Independence Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower 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 Independence Elementary rank among elementary schools in Winter Garden?
By Resource Investment Index, Independence Elementary ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Winter Garden, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Winter Garden on the city page.
Is Independence Elementary a good school?
Independence Elementary earns 30/100 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 Orange?
Besides Independence Elementary, Orange also operates Apopka High (3,446 students), Timber Creek High (3,383 students), and Winter Park High (3,277 students). See the Orange 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.