Enrollment
296
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 120159008246 Charter school
Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School — Lakeland, FL
Federal NCES profile for Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 70
📋 Attendance 94
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
36.4:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
+99% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School reports 296 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 7.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 36.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 99% above the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 129% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 148 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 2.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Polk spends $12,580 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.2% from local sources (property taxes), 43.8% from the state, and 21.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Florida state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 36.4:1 | ▲ 99% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 296 | top 21% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
36.4:1
students per teacher
— 99% above state mean
Top 98% in Florida — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
2.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$12,580
per pupil, district-wide
— below Florida avg of $12,756
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 148 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
Enrollment 296 Top 21% in Florida — larger than 79% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 7.0
Students per teacher 36.4:1 +99% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 120159008246
Student demographics
White 33.1%
African American 31.4%
Hispanic or Latino 30.4%
Two or More 3.4%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 33.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 148:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 2.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk, which includes Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School.
$12,580
Per student
-1%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.2%
State 43.8%
Federal 21.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,105
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,731
- Students per teacher
- 27.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,648
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,632
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,469
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
Similar high schools in Lakeland
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
George W. Jenkins Senior High
Standard public school
2,469 students 22.5:1 students per teacher
Lakeland Senior High School
Standard public school
1,985 students 20:1 students per teacher
Lake Gibson Senior High School
Standard public school
1,973 students 22.9:1 students per teacher
Kathleen Senior High School
Standard public school
1,861 students 22.3:1 students per teacher
Tenoroc High School
Standard public school
1,141 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Polk State College Collegiate High School
Standard public school
343 students 117.7:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School
How many students attend Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School?
Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School has 296 students enrolled. It is a high school in LAKELAND, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School is 36.4:1, which is 99% higher than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 129% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School?
The largest demographic group at Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School is White at 33.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in LAKELAND, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School?
Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Charter High School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.