Enrollment
288
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120156001678
Sandy Lane Elementary School — Clearwater, FL
Federal NCES profile for Sandy Lane Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 0
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)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
-38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.9%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+58% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sandy Lane Elementary 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
Sandy Lane Elementary School reports 288 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 27.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 38% below the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 29% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 81.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 58% above the Florida average and 58% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 288 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 54.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pinellas spends $13,882 per pupil district-wide, above the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 56.7% from local sources (property taxes), 25.1% from the state, and 18.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Sandy Lane Elementary 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 | 11.3:1 | ▼ 38% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.9% | ▲ 58% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 288 | 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.
Economic need
81.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 58% 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
11.3:1
students per teacher
— 38% below state mean
Top 7% in Florida — lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
54.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,882
per pupil, district-wide
— above Florida avg of $12,756
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 288 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 288 Top 21% in Florida — larger than 79% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 27.0
Students per teacher 11.3:1 -38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 81.9% +58% vs state
NCES ID 120156001678
Student demographics
African American 52.8%
Hispanic or Latino 21.5%
White 14.6%
Two or More 8.3%
Asian 2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 52.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 288:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 54.5%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 15
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pinellas, which includes Sandy Lane Elementary School.
$13,882
Per student
+9%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 56.7%
State 25.1%
Federal 18.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,413
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,058
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,980
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,934
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,736
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
Similar other schools in Clearwater
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Plumb Elementary School
Standard public school
704 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Eisenhower Elementary School
Standard public school
678 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
Leila Davis Elementary School
Standard public school
636 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
High Point Elementary School
Standard public school
600 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Ponce De Leon Elementary School
Standard public school
546 students 12.1:1 students per teacher
Frontier Elementary School
Standard public school
542 students 14.2:1 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 Sandy Lane Elementary School
How many students attend Sandy Lane Elementary School?
Sandy Lane Elementary School has 288 students enrolled. It is a other school in CLEARWATER, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sandy Lane Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sandy Lane Elementary School is 11.3:1, which is 38% lower than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 29% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sandy Lane Elementary School?
81.9% of students at Sandy Lane Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sandy Lane Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Sandy Lane Elementary School is African American at 52.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in CLEARWATER, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sandy Lane Elementary School?
Sandy Lane Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 4 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.