Enrollment
574
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Orlando, FL
Palm Lake Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Palm Lake Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 120144002573
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palm Lake Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 85% of Florida schools.
- #18 of 25
- elementary schools in Orlando · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13:1
- small classes for Florida
- 38.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Palm Lake Elementary has class sizes smaller than 85% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Palm Lake Elementary ranks #18 of 25 elementary schools in Orlando, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.9%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palm Lake Elementary compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Palm Lake Elementary
Palm Lake Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Orlando, Florida, enrolling 574 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 13:1, Palm Lake Elementary is leaner than roughly 85% of Florida schools and 27% under the state's 17.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 38.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 574 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.
Among 609 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #522, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (40%) and Hispanic or Latino (37%) (diversity index 68/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 574 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Orange also operates Apopka High (3,446 students) and Timber Creek High (3,383 students) alongside Palm Lake Elementary.
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 Palm Lake Elementary compares
Palm Lake Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13:1 | ▼ 27% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.9% | ▼ 25% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 574 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
574
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
38.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% 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
13:1
students per teacher
- 27% below state mean
Top 15% in Florida - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
44.4%
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
$11,578
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 574 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 39.9%
Hispanic or Latino 37.1%
African American 10.5%
Asian 7.8%
Two or More 4.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 39.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.4, Palm Lake Elementary is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orange, which includes Palm Lake Elementary.
$11,578
Per student
+4%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 53.2%
State 28.8%
Federal 18.0%
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 Palm Lake Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apopka High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Timber Creek High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Winter Park High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Colonial High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Windermere High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Palm Lake Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,446
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 3,383
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 3,277
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 3,239
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 3,217
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar elementary 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 (~574 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palm Lake Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Palm Lake Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Orange'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 Palm Lake Elementary
How many students attend Palm Lake Elementary?
Palm Lake Elementary has 574 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Orlando, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palm Lake Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Palm Lake Elementary is 13:1, which is 27% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 17% 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 Palm Lake Elementary?
38.9% of students at Palm Lake Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palm Lake Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Palm Lake Elementary is White at 39.9% of enrollment, in Orlando, 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 Palm Lake Elementary?
Palm Lake Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (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 Palm Lake Elementary rank among elementary schools in Orlando?
By Resource Investment Index, Palm Lake Elementary ranks #18 of 25 elementary schools in Orlando, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Orlando on the city page.
Is Palm Lake Elementary a good school?
Palm Lake Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 85% 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 Orange?
Besides Palm Lake Elementary, Orange also operates Apopka High (3,446 students), Timber Creek High (3,383 students), and Winter Park High (3,277 students). See the Orange 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.