Enrollment
2,051
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120123003429 Charter school
Manatee School for the Arts — Palmetto, FL
Federal NCES profile for Manatee School for the Arts, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 18
📋 Attendance 3
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)
104.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.9:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.7%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Manatee School for the Arts 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
Manatee School for the Arts reports 2,051 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 104.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% 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 19% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 49.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 4% below the Florida average and 4% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 410 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Manatee spends $13,252 per pupil district-wide, above the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 58.3% from local sources (property taxes), 25.8% from the state, and 15.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F), 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 Manatee School for the Arts 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 | 18.9:1 | ▲ 3% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.7% | ▼ 4% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,051 | top 96% | — | — |
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
49.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 4% 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
18.9:1
students per teacher
— 3% above state mean
Top 69% in Florida — lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,252
per pupil, district-wide
— above Florida avg of $12,756
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 410 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
126
in-school suspensions + 156 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 2,051 Top 96% in Florida — larger than 4% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 104.0
Students per teacher 18.9:1 +3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 49.7% -4% vs state
NCES ID 120123003429
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 42.6%
White 39.4%
African American 10.3%
Two or More 5.9%
Asian 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 42.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 410:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.7%
In-school suspensions 126
Out-of-school suspensions 156
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Manatee, which includes Manatee School for the Arts.
$13,252
Per student
+4%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 58.3%
State 25.8%
Federal 15.9%
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
- 2,422
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,266
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,185
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,998
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,705
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
Similar other schools in Palmetto
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Virgil Mills Elementary School
Standard public school
863 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Imagine Charter School at North Manatee
Standard public school
853 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
James Tillman Elementary Magnet School
Standard public school
614 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Palm View K-8 School
Standard public school
606 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Palmetto Elementary School
Standard public school
519 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Palmetto Charter School
Standard public school
458 students 14.4:1 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 Manatee School for the Arts
How many students attend Manatee School for the Arts?
Manatee School for the Arts has 2,051 students enrolled. It is a other school in PALMETTO, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Manatee School for the Arts?
The student-teacher ratio at Manatee School for the Arts is 18.9:1, which is 3% higher than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Manatee School for the Arts?
49.7% of students at Manatee School for the Arts are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Manatee School for the Arts?
The largest demographic group at Manatee School for the Arts is Hispanic or Latino at 42.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in PALMETTO, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Manatee School for the Arts?
Manatee School for the Arts has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.