Enrollment
1,718
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 120111001166
James Rickards High School — Tallahassee, FL
Federal NCES profile for James Rickards High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 1
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 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
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)
64.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.7:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
+35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.4%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How James Rickards High 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
James Rickards High School reports 1,718 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 64.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 24.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 35% above the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 55% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 57.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 10% above the Florida average and 11% above the national baseline. The school offers 20 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 573 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 54.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Leon spends $12,011 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 42.6% from local sources (property taxes), 39.3% from the state, and 18.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 James Rickards High 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 | 24.7:1 | ▲ 35% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.4% | ▲ 10% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,718 | top 94% | — | — |
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
57.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 10% 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
24.7:1
students per teacher
— 35% above state mean
Top 93% in Florida — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
54.1%
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
$12,011
per pupil, district-wide
— below Florida avg of $12,756
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 573 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 262 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 16 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,718 Top 94% in Florida — larger than 6% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 64.0
Students per teacher 24.7:1 +35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 57.4% +10% vs state
NCES ID 120111001166
Student demographics
African American 71.0%
Hispanic or Latino 10.2%
White 7.7%
Asian 6.5%
Two or More 4.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 71.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 20
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 573:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 54.1%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 262
Expulsions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Leon, which includes James Rickards High School.
$12,011
Per student
-6%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 42.6%
State 39.3%
Federal 18.1%
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
- 1,881
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,822
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,793
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,388
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,016
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
Similar high schools in Tallahassee
5 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Lawton Chiles High School
Standard public school
1,881 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Lincoln High School
Standard public school
1,822 students 25.1:1 students per teacher
Leon High School
Standard public school
1,793 students 23.3:1 students per teacher
Amos P. Godby High School
Standard public school
1,388 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Sail
Standard public school
359 students 19.2:1 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 James Rickards High School
How many students attend James Rickards High School?
James Rickards High School has 1,718 students enrolled. It is a high school in TALLAHASSEE, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at James Rickards High School?
The student-teacher ratio at James Rickards High School is 24.7:1, which is 35% higher than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 55% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at James Rickards High School?
57.4% of students at James Rickards High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of James Rickards High School?
The largest demographic group at James Rickards High School is African American at 71.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in TALLAHASSEE, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for James Rickards High School?
James Rickards High School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.