Enrollment
459
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Tallahassee, FL
Sabal Palm Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Sabal Palm Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120111001168
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sabal Palm Elementary School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of Florida schools.
- #25 of 37
- schools in Tallahassee · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.1:1
- small classes for Florida
- 80.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Sabal Palm Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 89% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sabal Palm Elementary School ranks #25 of 37 schools in Tallahassee, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-32% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.1%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sabal Palm Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sabal Palm Elementary School
Sabal Palm Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Tallahassee, Florida, enrolling 459 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.1:1, Sabal Palm Elementary School is leaner than roughly 89% of Florida schools and 32% under the state's 17.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 80.1% of students qualify for free meals, 54% above the Florida average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 459 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 567 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #286.
Its student body is led by African American (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 459 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 56.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Leon also operates Lawton Chiles High School (1,881 students) and Lincoln High School (1,822 students) alongside Sabal Palm 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 Sabal Palm Elementary School compares
Sabal Palm 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 | 12.1:1 | ▼ 32% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.1% | ▲ 54% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 459 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.1:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
459
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.1%
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
12.1:1
students per teacher
- 32% below state mean
Top 11% in Florida - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
56.9%
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
$10,180
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 459 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 56 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.1 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
African American 71.0%
Hispanic or Latino 15.5%
White 6.8%
Two or More 6.8%
Largest group: African American at 71.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.3, Sabal Palm 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 Leon, which includes Sabal Palm Elementary School.
$10,180
Per student
-9%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.6%
State 39.3%
Federal 18.1%
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 Sabal Palm Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawton Chiles High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lincoln High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Leon High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James Rickards High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Amos P. Godby High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sabal Palm Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,881
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,822
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,793
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 1,718
- Students per teacher
- 26.8:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 1,388
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
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 (~459 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sabal Palm Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Sabal Palm Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Leon'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 Sabal Palm Elementary School
How many students attend Sabal Palm Elementary School?
Sabal Palm Elementary School has 459 students enrolled. It is a public school in Tallahassee, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sabal Palm Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sabal Palm Elementary School is 12.1:1, which is 32% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 23% 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 Sabal Palm Elementary School?
80.1% of students at Sabal Palm Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sabal Palm Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Sabal Palm Elementary School is African American at 71.0% of enrollment, in Tallahassee, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sabal Palm Elementary School?
Sabal Palm Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Sabal Palm Elementary School rank among schools in Tallahassee?
By Resource Investment Index, Sabal Palm Elementary School ranks #25 of 37 schools in Tallahassee, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Tallahassee on the city page.
Is Sabal Palm Elementary School a good school?
Sabal Palm Elementary School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% 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 Leon?
Besides Sabal Palm Elementary School, Leon also operates Lawton Chiles High School (1,881 students), Lincoln High School (1,822 students), and Leon High School (1,793 students). See the Leon 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.