Enrollment
1,881
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Tallahassee, FL
Lawton Chiles High School
Federal NCES profile for Lawton Chiles High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 120111003598
👥 S:T ratio 4
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 6
📋 Attendance 11
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lawton Chiles High School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of Florida schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Florida.
- #3 of 6
- high schools in Tallahassee · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 24.1:1
- large classes for Florida
- 11.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Lawton Chiles High School has class sizes larger than 91% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lawton Chiles High School ranks #3 of 6 high schools in Tallahassee, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
78.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.1:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.1%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-79% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lawton Chiles High School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lawton Chiles High School
Lawton Chiles High School is a lower-poverty, large high school in Tallahassee, Florida, enrolling 1,881 students.
Class loads run heavy: 24.1:1 is larger than about 91% of Florida schools and 35% above the 17.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 11.1% free-meal eligibility runs 79% below the Florida average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Florida, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,881 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 3,996 Florida schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 89 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #84, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (9%) (diversity index 49/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 27 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 470 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Leon also operates Lincoln High School (1,822 students) and Leon High School (1,793 students) alongside Lawton Chiles 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 Lawton Chiles High School compares
Lawton Chiles 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 | 24.1:1 | ▲ 35% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.1% | ▼ 79% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,881 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
24.1:1
Leaner classes than 6% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,881
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
11.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 79% 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
24.1:1
students per teacher
- 35% above state mean
Top 91% in Florida - lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
35.7%
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
$10,180
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 470 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 100 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.7 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 70.1%
Hispanic or Latino 9.3%
African American 8.3%
Asian 7.2%
Two or More 4.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 70.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.6, Lawton Chiles High School is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 27
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Leon, which includes Lawton Chiles High School.
$10,180
Per student
-9%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Lawton Chiles High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Leon High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| James Rickards High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Amos P. Godby High School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| William J Montford Iii Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lawton Chiles High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,822
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,793
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 1,718
- Students per teacher
- 26.8:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 1,388
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,016
- Students per teacher
- 24.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
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 (~1,881 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~24.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lawton Chiles High School's federal record.
- Compare Lawton Chiles High School against another school. Compare schools
- Leon'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 Lawton Chiles High School
How many students attend Lawton Chiles High School?
Lawton Chiles High School has 1,881 students enrolled. It is a high school in Tallahassee, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lawton Chiles High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lawton Chiles High School is 24.1:1, which is 35% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 54% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lawton Chiles High School?
11.1% of students at Lawton Chiles High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lawton Chiles High School?
The largest demographic group at Lawton Chiles High School is White at 70.1% of enrollment, in Tallahassee, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lawton Chiles High School?
Lawton Chiles High School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Lawton Chiles High School rank among high schools in Tallahassee?
By Resource Investment Index, Lawton Chiles High School ranks #3 of 6 high schools in Tallahassee, 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 Tallahassee on the city page.
Is Lawton Chiles High School a good school?
Lawton Chiles High School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% 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 Leon?
Besides Lawton Chiles High School, Leon also operates Lincoln High School (1,822 students), Leon High School (1,793 students), and James Rickards High School (1,718 students). See the Leon 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.