Enrollment
614
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120123001239
James Tillman Elementary Magnet School — Palmetto, FL
Federal NCES profile for James Tillman Elementary Magnet School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 26/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 3
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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.3%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How James Tillman Elementary Magnet 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 Tillman Elementary Magnet School reports 614 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% 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 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 71.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 37% above the Florida average and 38% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 614 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Manatee spends $13,252 per pupil district-wide, above the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 58.3% from local sources (property taxes), 25.8% from the state, and 15.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F), 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 James Tillman Elementary Magnet 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 | 16.8:1 | ▼ 8% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.3% | ▲ 37% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 614 | top 52% | — | — |
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
71.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 37% 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
16.8:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 50% in Florida — lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.9%
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
$13,252
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 614 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
80
in-school suspensions + 39 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 614 Top 52% in Florida — larger than 48% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 16.8:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 71.3% +37% vs state
NCES ID 120123001239
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 45.0%
African American 27.9%
White 18.7%
Two or More 6.5%
Asian 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 45.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 614:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.9%
In-school suspensions 80
Out-of-school suspensions 39
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Manatee, which includes James Tillman Elementary Magnet School.
$13,252
Per student
+4%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 58.3%
State 25.8%
Federal 15.9%
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
- 2,422
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,266
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,185
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,051
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,998
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
Similar other schools in Palmetto
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Manatee School for the Arts
Standard public school
2,051 students 18.9:1 students per teacher
Virgil Mills Elementary School
Standard public school
863 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Imagine Charter School at North Manatee
Standard public school
853 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Palm View K-8 School
Standard public school
606 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Palmetto Elementary School
Standard public school
519 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Palmetto Charter School
Standard public school
458 students 14.4:1 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 Tillman Elementary Magnet School
How many students attend James Tillman Elementary Magnet School?
James Tillman Elementary Magnet School has 614 students enrolled. It is a other school in PALMETTO, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at James Tillman Elementary Magnet School?
The student-teacher ratio at James Tillman Elementary Magnet School is 16.8:1, which is 8% lower than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 6% higher 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 James Tillman Elementary Magnet School?
71.3% of students at James Tillman Elementary Magnet School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of James Tillman Elementary Magnet School?
The largest demographic group at James Tillman Elementary Magnet School is Hispanic or Latino at 45.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in PALMETTO, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for James Tillman Elementary Magnet School?
James Tillman Elementary Magnet School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F) 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.