Enrollment
692
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Gainesville, FL
Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120003003530
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Florida schools.
- #11 of 22
- schools in Gainesville · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.5:1
- students per teacher
- 32.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School ranks #11 of 22 schools in Gainesville, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.2%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School
Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Gainesville, Florida, enrolling 692 students.
At 16.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Florida median, within a few percentage points of the 17.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 32.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 692 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 600 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #346.
Its student body is led by White (41%) and African American (23%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 692 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Alachua also operates F. W. Buchholz High School (2,416 students) and Gainesville High School (1,825 students) alongside Lawton M. Chiles 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 Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School compares
Lawton M. Chiles 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 | 16.5:1 | ▼ 7% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.2% | ▼ 38% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 692 | top 40% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
692
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 50% in Florida - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.2%
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
$10,805
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 692 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 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 40.5%
African American 23.4%
Hispanic or Latino 15.5%
Asian 13.6%
Two or More 6.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 40.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 73.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 73.4, Lawton M. Chiles 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 Alachua, which includes Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School.
$10,805
Per student
-3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.3%
State 36.3%
Federal 19.4%
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 M. Chiles Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| F. W. Buchholz High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gainesville High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eastside High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Santa Fe High School | Larger | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Kanapaha Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,416
- Students per teacher
- 30.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,825
- Students per teacher
- 29:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,291
- Students per teacher
- 30.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,132
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,014
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
Similar other 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 (~692 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Alachua'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 M. Chiles Elementary School
How many students attend Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School?
Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School has 692 students enrolled. It is a public school in Gainesville, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School is 16.5:1, which is 7% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School?
32.2% of students at Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School is White at 40.5% of enrollment, in Gainesville, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School?
Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical 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 Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School rank among schools in Gainesville?
By Resource Investment Index, Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School ranks #11 of 22 schools in Gainesville, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Gainesville on the city page.
Is Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School a good school?
Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Florida schools. 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 Alachua?
Besides Lawton M. Chiles Elementary School, Alachua also operates F. W. Buchholz High School (2,416 students), Gainesville High School (1,825 students), and Eastside High School (1,291 students). See the Alachua 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.