Enrollment
458
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Palmetto, FL
Palmetto Charter School
Federal NCES profile for Palmetto Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120123007772Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palmetto Charter School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #2 of 10
- schools in Palmetto · Resource Index
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.8:1
- students per teacher
- 22.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Palmetto Charter School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Palmetto Charter School ranks #2 of 10 schools in Palmetto, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.5%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-57% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palmetto Charter School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Palmetto Charter School
Palmetto Charter School is a mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Palmetto, Florida, enrolling 458 students.
At 15.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Florida median, within a few percentage points of the 17.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 22.5% free-meal eligibility runs 57% below the Florida average.
Enrollment of 458 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 3,996 Florida schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 234 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #17, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%) (diversity index 47/100).
11.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 15.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Manatee also operates Lakewood Ranch High School (2,422 students) and Parrish Community High School (2,266 students) alongside Palmetto Charter 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 Palmetto Charter School compares
Palmetto Charter 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 | 15.8:1 | ▼ 11% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.5% | ▼ 57% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 458 | top 66% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.8:1
Leaner classes than 40% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
458
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 57% 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
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 42% in Florida - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
11.8%
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
$10,900
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 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 70.5%
Hispanic or Latino 17.0%
African American 7.2%
Two or More 4.4%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: White at 70.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.7, Palmetto Charter School is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Manatee, which includes Palmetto Charter School.
$10,900
Per student
-2%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.3%
State 25.8%
Federal 15.9%
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 Palmetto Charter School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood Ranch High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Parrish Community High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Palmetto High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Manatee School for the Arts | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Manatee High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Palmetto Charter School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,422
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 2,266
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 2,185
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 2,051
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,998
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
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 (~458 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palmetto Charter School's federal record.
- Compare Palmetto Charter School against another school. Compare schools
- Manatee'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 Palmetto Charter School
How many students attend Palmetto Charter School?
Palmetto Charter School has 458 students enrolled. It is a public school in Palmetto, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palmetto Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Palmetto Charter School is 15.8:1, which is 11% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 1% higher 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 Palmetto Charter School?
22.5% of students at Palmetto Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palmetto Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Palmetto Charter School is White at 70.5% of enrollment, in Palmetto, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palmetto Charter School?
Palmetto Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (higher 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 Palmetto Charter School rank among schools in Palmetto?
By Resource Investment Index, Palmetto Charter School ranks #2 of 10 schools in Palmetto, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Palmetto on the city page.
Is Palmetto Charter School a good school?
Palmetto Charter School earns 59/100 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 Manatee?
Besides Palmetto Charter School, Manatee also operates Lakewood Ranch High School (2,422 students), Parrish Community High School (2,266 students), and Palmetto High School (2,185 students). See the Manatee 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.