Enrollment
508
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · West Palm Beach, FL
Palmetto Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Palmetto Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120150001504
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 8
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palmetto Elementary School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 85% of Florida schools.
- #16 of 33
- schools in West Palm Beach · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13:1
- small classes for Florida
- 80.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Palmetto Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 85% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Palmetto Elementary School ranks #16 of 33 schools in West Palm Beach, FL.
School address
District: Palm Beach · Florida
NCES ID 120150001504 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.3%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palmetto Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Palmetto Elementary School
Palmetto Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in West Palm Beach, Florida, enrolling 508 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 13:1, Palmetto Elementary School 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 is high: 80.3% of students qualify for free meals, 54% above the Florida average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 508 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 619 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #332.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 508 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Palm Beach also operates John I. Leonard High School (3,262 students) and Jupiter High School (3,122 students) alongside Palmetto 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 Palmetto Elementary School compares
Palmetto 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 27% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.3% | ▲ 54% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 508 | top 60% | - | - |
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.
508
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% 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
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
37.0%
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
$12,727
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 508 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.3 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 82.7%
White 7.7%
African American 6.7%
Asian 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Two or More 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 82.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 30.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 30.5, Palmetto 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 Palm Beach, which includes Palmetto Elementary School.
$12,727
Per student
+14%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 63.0%
State 21.7%
Federal 15.3%
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 Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| John I. Leonard High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jupiter High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Park Vista Community High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Boca Raton Community High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Palm Beach Lakes High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Palmetto Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,262
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 3,122
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,881
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,819
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,809
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
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 (~508 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palmetto Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Palmetto Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Palm Beach'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 Elementary School
How many students attend Palmetto Elementary School?
Palmetto Elementary School has 508 students enrolled. It is a public school in West Palm Beach, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palmetto Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Palmetto Elementary School 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 Palmetto Elementary School?
80.3% of students at Palmetto Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palmetto Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Palmetto Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 82.7% of enrollment, in West Palm Beach, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palmetto Elementary School?
Palmetto Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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 Palmetto Elementary School rank among schools in West Palm Beach?
By Resource Investment Index, Palmetto Elementary School ranks #16 of 33 schools in West Palm Beach, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in West Palm Beach on the city page.
Is Palmetto Elementary School a good school?
Palmetto Elementary School earns 31/100 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 Palm Beach?
Besides Palmetto Elementary School, Palm Beach also operates John I. Leonard High School (3,262 students), Jupiter High School (3,122 students), and Park Vista Community High School (2,881 students). See the Palm Beach 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.