Enrollment
526
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Seffner, FL
Mcdonald Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Mcdonald Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120087000985
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mcdonald Elementary School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #4 of 7
- schools in Seffner · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.9:1
- students per teacher
- 77.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Mcdonald Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mcdonald Elementary School ranks #4 of 7 schools in Seffner, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.6%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mcdonald Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mcdonald Elementary School
Mcdonald Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Seffner, Florida, enrolling 526 students.
At 15.9:1, 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 is high: 77.6% of students qualify for free meals, 49% above the Florida average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 526 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 711 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #263.
Its student body is led by White (40%) and Hispanic or Latino (36%) (diversity index 68/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 61.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Hillsborough also operates Florida Connections Academy (5,748 students) and Jule F Sumner High School (3,602 students) alongside Mcdonald 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 Mcdonald Elementary School compares
Mcdonald 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 | 15.9:1 | ▼ 11% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.6% | ▲ 49% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 526 | top 58% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.9:1
Leaner classes than 39% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
526
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
77.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 49% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.9:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 43% in Florida - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
61.6%
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
$9,835
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 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 40.1%
Hispanic or Latino 35.9%
African American 13.9%
Two or More 8.2%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 40.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.4, Mcdonald 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 Hillsborough, which includes Mcdonald Elementary School.
$9,835
Per student
-12%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.2%
State 40.7%
Federal 16.1%
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 Mcdonald Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Connections Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jule F Sumner High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Newsome High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Alonso High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Plant City High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mcdonald Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 5,748
- Students per teacher
- 40.5:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,602
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 3,157
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 2,863
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,572
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
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 (~526 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mcdonald Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Mcdonald Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Hillsborough'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 Mcdonald Elementary School
How many students attend Mcdonald Elementary School?
Mcdonald Elementary School has 526 students enrolled. It is a public school in Seffner, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mcdonald Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mcdonald Elementary School is 15.9:1, which is 11% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 1% 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 Mcdonald Elementary School?
77.6% of students at Mcdonald Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mcdonald Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Mcdonald Elementary School is White at 40.1% of enrollment, in Seffner, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mcdonald Elementary School?
Mcdonald Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Mcdonald Elementary School rank among schools in Seffner?
By Resource Investment Index, Mcdonald Elementary School ranks #4 of 7 schools in Seffner, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Seffner on the city page.
Is Mcdonald Elementary School a good school?
Mcdonald Elementary School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median. 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 Hillsborough?
Besides Mcdonald Elementary School, Hillsborough also operates Florida Connections Academy (5,748 students), Jule F Sumner High School (3,602 students), and Newsome High School (3,157 students). See the Hillsborough 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.