Enrollment
1,111
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Haines City, FL
Sandhill Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Sandhill Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120159004436
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sandhill Elementary School earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #3 of 4
- schools in Haines City · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.5:1
- students per teacher
- 54.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Sandhill Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sandhill Elementary School ranks #3 of 4 schools in Haines City, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.6%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sandhill Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sandhill Elementary School
Sandhill Elementary School is a higher-need, large combined-grade school in Haines City, Florida, enrolling 1,111 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 54.6% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 1,111 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 92% of the 3,996 Florida schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 726 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #649, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (59%) and African American (22%) (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1111 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 49.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Polk also operates Haines City Senior High School (3,105 students) and Davenport High School (2,731 students) alongside Sandhill 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 Sandhill Elementary School compares
Sandhill 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 | 18.5:1 | ▲ 4% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.6% | ▲ 5% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,111 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,111
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% 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
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 67% in Florida - lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
49.5%
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
$11,454
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 1111 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
28
in-school suspensions + 30 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.2 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 58.8%
African American 22.4%
White 14.9%
Two or More 2.6%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 58.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.1, Sandhill 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 Polk, which includes Sandhill Elementary School.
$11,454
Per student
+3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Sandhill Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haines City Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Davenport High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Winter Haven Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ridge Community High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| George W. Jenkins Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sandhill Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,105
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,731
- Students per teacher
- 32.1:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 2,648
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 2,632
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,469
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
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 (~1,111 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sandhill Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Sandhill Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Polk'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 Sandhill Elementary School
How many students attend Sandhill Elementary School?
Sandhill Elementary School has 1,111 students enrolled. It is a public school in Haines City, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sandhill Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sandhill Elementary School is 18.5:1, which is 4% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sandhill Elementary School?
54.6% of students at Sandhill Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sandhill Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Sandhill Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 58.8% of enrollment, in Haines City, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sandhill Elementary School?
Sandhill Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (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 Sandhill Elementary School rank among schools in Haines City?
By Resource Investment Index, Sandhill Elementary School ranks #3 of 4 schools in Haines City, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Haines City on the city page.
Is Sandhill Elementary School a good school?
Sandhill Elementary School earns 24/100 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 Polk?
Besides Sandhill Elementary School, Polk also operates Haines City Senior High School (3,105 students), Davenport High School (2,731 students), and Winter Haven Senior High School (2,648 students). See the Polk 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.