Enrollment
1,290
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Sarasota, FL
Sarasota Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Sarasota Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 120168001837
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sarasota Middle School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #2 of 5
- middle schools in Sarasota · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.8:1
- students per teacher
- 21.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Sarasota Middle School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sarasota Middle School ranks #2 of 5 middle schools in Sarasota, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
77.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.4%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sarasota Middle School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sarasota Middle School
Sarasota Middle School is a large middle school in Sarasota, Florida, enrolling 1,290 students.
At 16.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Florida median, within a few percentage points of the 17.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 21.4% free-meal eligibility runs 59% below the Florida average.
Enrollment of 1,290 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Among 330 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #18, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 323 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
13.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Sarasota also operates Riverview High School (2,637 students) and Venice Senior High School (2,579 students) alongside Sarasota Middle 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 Sarasota Middle School compares
Sarasota Middle 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 | 16.8:1 | ▼ 6% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.4% | ▼ 59% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,290 | top 11% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,290
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.8:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 53% in Florida - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
13.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,753
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 323 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
73
in-school suspensions + 49 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 69.6%
Hispanic or Latino 16.7%
Two or More 7.6%
Asian 4.4%
African American 1.6%
Largest group: White at 69.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.0, Sarasota Middle School is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sarasota, which includes Sarasota Middle School.
$12,753
Per student
+14%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 77.1%
State 11.5%
Federal 11.3%
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.
How Sarasota Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverview High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Venice Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Port High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sarasota High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pine View School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sarasota Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,637
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 2,579
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,557
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,359
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,752
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar middle 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 (~1,290 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sarasota Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Sarasota Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Sarasota'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 Sarasota Middle School
How many students attend Sarasota Middle School?
Sarasota Middle School has 1,290 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Sarasota, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sarasota Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sarasota Middle School is 16.8:1, which is 6% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 7% higher 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 Sarasota Middle School?
21.4% of students at Sarasota Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sarasota Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Sarasota Middle School is White at 69.6% of enrollment, in Sarasota, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sarasota Middle School?
Sarasota Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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 Sarasota Middle School rank among middle schools in Sarasota?
By Resource Investment Index, Sarasota Middle School ranks #2 of 5 middle schools in Sarasota, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Sarasota on the city page.
Is Sarasota Middle School a good school?
Sarasota Middle School earns 51/100 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 Sarasota?
Besides Sarasota Middle School, Sarasota also operates Riverview High School (2,637 students), Venice Senior High School (2,579 students), and North Port High School (2,557 students). See the Sarasota 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.