Enrollment
776
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Palatka, FL
Kelley Smith Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Kelley Smith Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 120162001800
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kelley Smith Elementary School earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #3 of 4
- elementary schools in Palatka · Resource Index
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18:1
- students per teacher
- 51.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Kelley Smith Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Kelley Smith Elementary School ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Palatka, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.0%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kelley Smith Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kelley Smith Elementary School
Kelley Smith Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Palatka, Florida, enrolling 776 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18:1 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 51.0% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 776 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 91% of the 3,996 Florida schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 962 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #877, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (58%) and African American (31%) (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 776 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 53.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 29.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Putnam also operates Palatka Jr - Sr High School (1,568 students) and Middleton-Burney Elementary School (1,056 students) alongside Kelley Smith Elementary School.
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 Kelley Smith Elementary School compares
Kelley Smith Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18:1 | ▲ 1% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.0% | ▼ 2% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 776 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
776
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 64% in Florida - lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
53.2%
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
$11,305
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 776 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
51
in-school suspensions + 77 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.5 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 58.0%
African American 31.1%
Hispanic or Latino 5.9%
Two or More 4.5%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 58.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.1, Kelley Smith Elementary School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Putnam, which includes Kelley Smith Elementary School.
$11,305
Per student
+1%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.3%
State 44.0%
Federal 29.7%
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 Kelley Smith Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palatka Jr - Sr High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Middleton-Burney Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Interlachen Jr-Sr High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Crescent City Jr-Sr High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robert H. Jenkins Jr Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kelley Smith Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,568
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,056
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 999
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 945
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 844
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
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 (~776 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kelley Smith Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Kelley Smith Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Putnam'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 Kelley Smith Elementary School
How many students attend Kelley Smith Elementary School?
Kelley Smith Elementary School has 776 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Palatka, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kelley Smith Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Kelley Smith Elementary School is 18:1, which is 1% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Kelley Smith Elementary School?
51.0% of students at Kelley Smith Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kelley Smith Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Kelley Smith Elementary School is White at 58.0% of enrollment, in Palatka, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kelley Smith Elementary School?
Kelley Smith Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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 Kelley Smith Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Palatka?
By Resource Investment Index, Kelley Smith Elementary School ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Palatka, 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 Palatka on the city page.
Is Kelley Smith Elementary School a good school?
Kelley Smith Elementary School earns 25/100 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 Putnam?
Besides Kelley Smith Elementary School, Putnam also operates Palatka Jr - Sr High School (1,568 students), Middleton-Burney Elementary School (1,056 students), and Interlachen Jr-Sr High School (999 students). See the Putnam 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.