Enrollment
704
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 120159003015
Lawton Chiles Middle Academy — Lakeland, FL
Federal NCES profile for Lawton Chiles Middle Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 70
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)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.7%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lawton Chiles Middle Academy 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
Lawton Chiles Middle Academy reports 704 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 20% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 32.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 37% below the Florida average and 37% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 352 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Polk spends $12,580 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.2% from local sources (property taxes), 43.8% from the state, and 21.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), 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 Lawton Chiles Middle Academy 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 | 19.1:1 | ▲ 4% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.7% | ▼ 37% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 704 | top 61% | — | — |
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
32.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 37% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.1:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 71% in Florida — lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$12,580
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 352 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 103 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 704 Top 61% in Florida — larger than 39% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 19.1:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.7% -37% vs state
NCES ID 120159003015
Student demographics
White 44.6%
Hispanic or Latino 22.9%
African American 22.2%
Asian 6.8%
Two or More 3.6%
Largest group: White at 44.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 352:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.9%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 103
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk, which includes Lawton Chiles Middle Academy.
$12,580
Per student
-1%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,105
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,731
- Students per teacher
- 27.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,648
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,632
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,469
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
Similar middle schools in Lakeland
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Lake Gibson Middle School
Standard public school
1,149 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Lakeland Highlands Middle School
Standard public school
1,118 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Sleepy Hill Middle School
Standard public school
886 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Crystal Lake Middle School
Standard public school
753 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Southwest Middle School
Standard public school
746 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Kathleen Middle School
Standard public school
742 students 18.7:1 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 Lawton Chiles Middle Academy
How many students attend Lawton Chiles Middle Academy?
Lawton Chiles Middle Academy has 704 students enrolled. It is a middle school in LAKELAND, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lawton Chiles Middle Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Lawton Chiles Middle Academy is 19.1:1, which is 4% higher than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lawton Chiles Middle Academy?
32.7% of students at Lawton Chiles Middle Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lawton Chiles Middle Academy?
The largest demographic group at Lawton Chiles Middle Academy is White at 44.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in LAKELAND, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lawton Chiles Middle Academy?
Lawton Chiles Middle Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) 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.