Enrollment
635
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lake City, FL
Melrose Park Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Melrose Park Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120036000360
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Melrose Park Elementary School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Florida schools.
- #8 of 12
- schools in Lake City · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 26.5:1
- large classes for Florida
- 82.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Melrose Park Elementary School has class sizes larger than 94% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Melrose Park Elementary School ranks #8 of 12 schools in Lake City, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.5:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+49% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
82.4%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+58% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Melrose Park Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Melrose Park Elementary School
Melrose Park Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Lake City, Florida, enrolling 635 students.
Class loads run heavy: 26.5:1 is larger than about 94% of Florida schools and 49% above the 17.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 82.4% of students qualify for free meals, 58% above the Florida average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 635 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 575 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #386.
Its student body is led by African American (61%) and White (19%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 635 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 26.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Columbia also operates Columbia High School (1,711 students) and Fort White High School (1,101 students) alongside Melrose Park 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 Melrose Park Elementary School compares
Melrose Park 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 | 26.5:1 | ▲ 49% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 82.4% | ▲ 58% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 635 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
26.5:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
635
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
82.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 58% 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
26.5:1
students per teacher
- 49% above state mean
Top 94% in Florida - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
22.7%
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
$10,799
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 635 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 37 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.0 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
African American 61.1%
White 19.2%
Hispanic or Latino 10.7%
Two or More 8.5%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 61.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.1, Melrose Park 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 Columbia, which includes Melrose Park Elementary School.
$10,799
Per student
-3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.7%
State 52.5%
Federal 26.9%
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.
How Melrose Park Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Fort White High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Belmont Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lake City Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Westside Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Melrose Park Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,711
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,101
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 828
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 809
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 695
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~635 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Melrose Park Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Melrose Park Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Columbia'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 Melrose Park Elementary School
How many students attend Melrose Park Elementary School?
Melrose Park Elementary School has 635 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lake City, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Melrose Park Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Melrose Park Elementary School is 26.5:1, which is 49% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 69% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Melrose Park Elementary School?
82.4% of students at Melrose Park Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Melrose Park Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Melrose Park Elementary School is African American at 61.1% of enrollment, in Lake City, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Melrose Park Elementary School?
Melrose Park Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 Melrose Park Elementary School rank among schools in Lake City?
By Resource Investment Index, Melrose Park Elementary School ranks #8 of 12 schools in Lake City, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Lake City on the city page.
Is Melrose Park Elementary School a good school?
Melrose Park Elementary School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of 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 Columbia?
Besides Melrose Park Elementary School, Columbia also operates Columbia High School (1,711 students), Fort White High School (1,101 students), and Belmont Academy (828 students). See the Columbia 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.