Enrollment
574
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Hialeah, FL
Palm Lakes Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Palm Lakes Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120039000489
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palm Lakes Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Florida schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Florida schools.
- #19 of 25
- schools in Hialeah · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.7:1
- small classes for Florida
- 56.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Palm Lakes Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 70% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Palm Lakes Elementary School ranks #19 of 25 schools in Hialeah, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.7:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.8%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palm Lakes Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Palm Lakes Elementary School
Palm Lakes Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Hialeah, Florida, enrolling 574 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 56.8% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 574 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 927 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #377.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 7/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 574 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Miami-Dade also operates John a. Ferguson Senior High (4,291 students) and Coral Reef Senior High School (3,399 students) alongside Palm Lakes 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 Palm Lakes Elementary School compares
Palm Lakes 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 | 14.7:1 | ▼ 17% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.8% | ▲ 9% | 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
14.7:1
Leaner classes than 50% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
574
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
56.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.7:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 30% in Florida - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
26.5%
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
$12,258
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 + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 96.5%
White 1.2%
Asian 1.2%
African American 0.9%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 96.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.8, Palm Lakes 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 Miami-Dade, which includes Palm Lakes Elementary School.
$12,258
Per student
+10%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 57.2%
State 23.3%
Federal 19.5%
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 Lakes Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| John a. Ferguson Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Coral Reef Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Dade Senior High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Miami Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hialeah Gardens Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Palm Lakes Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,291
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,399
- Students per teacher
- 27:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 3,382
- Students per teacher
- 27.7:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,100
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,009
- Students per teacher
- 28.4:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
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 (~574 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palm Lakes Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Palm Lakes Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Miami-Dade'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 Lakes Elementary School
How many students attend Palm Lakes Elementary School?
Palm Lakes Elementary School has 574 students enrolled. It is a public school in Hialeah, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palm Lakes Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Palm Lakes Elementary School is 14.7:1, which is 17% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 6% 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 Lakes Elementary School?
56.8% of students at Palm Lakes Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palm Lakes Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Palm Lakes Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 96.5% of enrollment, in Hialeah, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palm Lakes Elementary School?
Palm Lakes Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical 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 Lakes Elementary School rank among schools in Hialeah?
By Resource Investment Index, Palm Lakes Elementary School ranks #19 of 25 schools in Hialeah, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Hialeah on the city page.
Is Palm Lakes Elementary School a good school?
Palm Lakes Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Florida schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Miami-Dade?
Besides Palm Lakes Elementary School, Miami-Dade also operates John a. Ferguson Senior High (4,291 students), Coral Reef Senior High School (3,399 students), and South Dade Senior High School (3,382 students). See the Miami-Dade 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.