Enrollment
297
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Palatka, FL
Mellon Learning Center
Federal NCES profile for Mellon Learning Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120162002530
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mellon Learning Center earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #4 of 4
- schools in Palatka · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.6:1
- students per teacher
- 36.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Mellon Learning Center has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mellon Learning Center ranks #4 of 4 schools in Palatka, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.6:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.7%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mellon Learning Center compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mellon Learning Center
Mellon Learning Center is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Palatka, Florida, enrolling 297 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 36.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 297 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Among 120 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #106, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (45%) and African American (42%) (diversity index 62/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 29.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Putnam also operates Palatka Jr - Sr High School (1,568 students) and Middleton-Burney Elementary School (1,056 students) alongside Mellon Learning Center.
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 Mellon Learning Center compares
Mellon Learning Center on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.6:1 | ▲ 4% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.7% | ▼ 29% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 297 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.6:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
297
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
36.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 29% 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
18.6:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 68% in Florida - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
28.6%
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
$11,305
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
8
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.7 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 44.8%
African American 41.8%
Hispanic or Latino 9.4%
Two or More 3.4%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 44.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.5, Mellon Learning Center is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Putnam, which includes Mellon Learning Center.
$11,305
Per student
+1%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.3%
State 44.0%
Federal 29.7%
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 Mellon Learning Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palatka Jr - Sr High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Middleton-Burney Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Interlachen Jr-Sr High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Crescent City Jr-Sr High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robert H. Jenkins Jr Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mellon Learning Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,568
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,056
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 999
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 945
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 844
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
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 (~297 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mellon Learning Center's federal record.
- Compare Mellon Learning Center against another school. Compare schools
- Putnam'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 Mellon Learning Center
How many students attend Mellon Learning Center?
Mellon Learning Center has 297 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Palatka, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mellon Learning Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Mellon Learning Center is 18.6:1, which is 4% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mellon Learning Center?
36.7% of students at Mellon Learning Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mellon Learning Center?
The largest demographic group at Mellon Learning Center is White at 44.8% of enrollment, in Palatka, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mellon Learning Center?
Mellon Learning Center has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 Mellon Learning Center rank among schools in Palatka?
By Resource Investment Index, Mellon Learning Center ranks #4 of 4 schools in Palatka, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Palatka on the city page.
Is Mellon Learning Center a good school?
Mellon Learning Center earns 28/100 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 Putnam?
Besides Mellon Learning Center, Putnam also operates Palatka Jr - Sr High School (1,568 students), Middleton-Burney Elementary School (1,056 students), and Interlachen Jr-Sr High School (999 students). See the Putnam 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.