Enrollment
1,973
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Lakeland, FL
Lake Gibson Senior High School
Federal NCES profile for Lake Gibson Senior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 120159002405
👥 S:T ratio 13
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lake Gibson Senior High School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Florida schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Florida.
- #6 of 9
- high schools in Lakeland · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 21.7:1
- large classes for Florida
- 49.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Lake Gibson Senior High School has class sizes larger than 84% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lake Gibson Senior High School ranks #6 of 9 high schools in Lakeland, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
91.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.7:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.4%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lake Gibson Senior High School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lake Gibson Senior High School
Lake Gibson Senior High School is a large high school in Lakeland, Florida, enrolling 1,973 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 21.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 49.4% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Florida, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,973 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 272 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #66.
Its student body is led by White (40%) and Hispanic or Latino (34%) (diversity index 68/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 18 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 395 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 581 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,973 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 5 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Polk also operates Haines City Senior High School (3,105 students) and Davenport High School (2,731 students) alongside Lake Gibson Senior High 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 Lake Gibson Senior High School compares
Lake Gibson Senior High 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 | 21.7:1 | ▲ 22% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.4% | ▼ 5% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,973 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.7:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,973
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
49.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% 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
21.7:1
students per teacher
- 22% above state mean
Top 84% in Florida - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Funding equity
$11,454
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 395 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
303
in-school suspensions + 278 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 29.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
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 40.3%
Hispanic or Latino 33.5%
African American 22.1%
Two or More 2.1%
Asian 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 40.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.6, Lake Gibson Senior High School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 18
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk, which includes Lake Gibson Senior High School.
$11,454
Per student
+3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.2%
State 43.8%
Federal 21.0%
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 Lake Gibson Senior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haines City Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Davenport High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Winter Haven Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ridge Community High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| George W. Jenkins Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lake Gibson Senior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,105
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,731
- Students per teacher
- 32.1:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 2,648
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 2,632
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,469
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
Similar high 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 (~1,973 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lake Gibson Senior High School's federal record.
- Compare Lake Gibson Senior High School against another school. Compare schools
- Polk'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 Lake Gibson Senior High School
How many students attend Lake Gibson Senior High School?
Lake Gibson Senior High School has 1,973 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lakeland, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lake Gibson Senior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lake Gibson Senior High School is 21.7:1, which is 22% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lake Gibson Senior High School?
49.4% of students at Lake Gibson Senior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lake Gibson Senior High School?
The largest demographic group at Lake Gibson Senior High School is White at 40.3% of enrollment, in Lakeland, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lake Gibson Senior High School?
Lake Gibson Senior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Lake Gibson Senior High School rank among high schools in Lakeland?
By Resource Investment Index, Lake Gibson Senior High School ranks #6 of 9 high schools in Lakeland, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Lakeland on the city page.
Is Lake Gibson Senior High School a good school?
Lake Gibson Senior High School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Florida schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Florida. 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 Polk?
Besides Lake Gibson Senior High School, Polk also operates Haines City Senior High School (3,105 students), Davenport High School (2,731 students), and Winter Haven Senior High School (2,648 students). See the Polk 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.