Enrollment
703
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · St. Augustine, FL
Palencia Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Palencia Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120174008177
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palencia Elementary School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of Florida schools.
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.1:1
- small classes for Florida
- 12.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 703
- students enrolled
Palencia Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 76% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
School address
NCES ID 120174008177 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.4%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-76% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palencia Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Palencia Elementary School
Palencia Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in St. Augustine, Florida, enrolling 703 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 12.4% free-meal eligibility runs 76% below the Florida average.
With 703 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 90% of the 3,996 Florida schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 264 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #32.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 352 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
13.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
St. Johns also operates Tocoi Creek High School (2,616 students) and Creekside High School (2,479 students) alongside Palencia 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 Palencia Elementary School compares
Palencia 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 | 14.1:1 | ▼ 21% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.4% | ▼ 76% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 703 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
703
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
12.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 76% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 24% in Florida - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
13.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$9,233
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 352 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 70.8%
Hispanic or Latino 15.2%
Two or More 6.8%
Asian 4.1%
African American 3.0%
Largest group: White at 70.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.8, Palencia Elementary School is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Johns, which includes Palencia Elementary School.
$9,233
Per student
-17%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-44%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.0%
State 37.4%
Federal 6.7%
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 Palencia Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tocoi Creek High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Creekside High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Beachside High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Allen D Nease Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bartram Trail High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Palencia Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,616
- Students per teacher
- 31.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 2,479
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,214
- Students per teacher
- 40.3:1
- Resource Index
- 0/100
- Enrollment
- 2,177
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,153
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- 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 (~703 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palencia Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Palencia Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- St. Johns'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 Palencia Elementary School
How many students attend Palencia Elementary School?
Palencia Elementary School has 703 students enrolled. It is a public school in St. Augustine, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palencia Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Palencia Elementary School is 14.1:1, which is 21% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 10% lower 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 Palencia Elementary School?
12.4% of students at Palencia Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palencia Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Palencia Elementary School is White at 70.8% of enrollment, in St. Augustine, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palencia Elementary School?
Palencia Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher 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).
Is Palencia Elementary School a good school?
Palencia Elementary School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% 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 St. Johns?
Besides Palencia Elementary School, St. Johns also operates Tocoi Creek High School (2,616 students), Creekside High School (2,479 students), and Beachside High School (2,214 students). See the St. Johns 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.