Enrollment
354
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Sebastian, FL
Pelican Island Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Pelican Island Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120093001059
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 17
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pelican Island Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of Florida schools.
- #2 of 7
- public schools in Sebastian · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.6:1
- small classes for Florida
- 64.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Pelican Island Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 87% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pelican Island Elementary School ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Sebastian, FL.
School address
District: Indian River · Florida
NCES ID 120093001059 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.4%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pelican Island Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pelican Island Elementary School
Pelican Island Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Sebastian, Florida, enrolling 354 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.6:1, Pelican Island Elementary School is leaner than roughly 87% of Florida schools and 29% under the state's 17.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 64.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 354 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 463 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #123.
Its student body is led by White (54%) and African American (20%) (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 354 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Indian River also operates Vero Beach High School (2,645 students) and Sebastian River High School (1,777 students) alongside Pelican Island 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 Pelican Island Elementary School compares
Pelican Island 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 29% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.4% | ▲ 24% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 354 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
354
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
64.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% 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
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 29% below state mean
Top 13% in Florida - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
33.1%
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
$11,476
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 354 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 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 53.7%
African American 20.1%
Hispanic or Latino 19.5%
Two or More 6.2%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 53.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.9, Pelican Island Elementary School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Indian River, which includes Pelican Island Elementary School.
$11,476
Per student
+3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 64.2%
State 20.6%
Federal 15.2%
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 Pelican Island Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vero Beach High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sebastian River High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Storm Grove Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Imagine at South Vero | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sebastian River Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pelican Island Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,645
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,777
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 904
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 892
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 775
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~354 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pelican Island Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Pelican Island Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Indian River'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 Pelican Island Elementary School
How many students attend Pelican Island Elementary School?
Pelican Island Elementary School has 354 students enrolled. It is a public school in Sebastian, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pelican Island Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pelican Island Elementary School is 12.6:1, which is 29% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 20% 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 Pelican Island Elementary School?
64.4% of students at Pelican Island Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pelican Island Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Pelican Island Elementary School is White at 53.7% of enrollment, in Sebastian, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pelican Island Elementary School?
Pelican Island Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Pelican Island Elementary School rank among public schools in Sebastian?
By Resource Investment Index, Pelican Island Elementary School ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Sebastian, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Sebastian on the city page.
Is Pelican Island Elementary School a good school?
Pelican Island Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% 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 Indian River?
Besides Pelican Island Elementary School, Indian River also operates Vero Beach High School (2,645 students), Sebastian River High School (1,777 students), and Storm Grove Middle School (904 students). See the Indian River 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.