Enrollment
823
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Sarasota, FL
Sarasota Suncoast Academy
Federal NCES profile for Sarasota Suncoast Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 120168004199Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sarasota Suncoast Academy earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #3 of 5
- elementary schools in Sarasota · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.1:1
- students per teacher
- 26.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Sarasota Suncoast Academy has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sarasota Suncoast Academy ranks #3 of 5 elementary schools in Sarasota, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.3%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sarasota Suncoast Academy compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sarasota Suncoast Academy
Sarasota Suncoast Academy is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Sarasota, Florida, enrolling 823 students.
At 16.1:1, 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, 26.3% free-meal eligibility runs 49% below the Florida average.
Enrollment of 823 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 542 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #269.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 823 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Sarasota also operates Riverview High School (2,637 students) and Venice Senior High School (2,579 students) alongside Sarasota Suncoast Academy.
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 Suncoast Academy compares
Sarasota Suncoast Academy on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.1:1 | ▼ 10% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.3% | ▼ 49% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 823 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
823
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
26.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 49% 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
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 45% in Florida - lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 823 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.5 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
White 81.0%
Hispanic or Latino 12.5%
Two or More 5.0%
African American 0.9%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 81.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.6, Sarasota Suncoast Academy 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 Suncoast Academy.
$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 Suncoast Academy 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 Suncoast Academy'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 elementary 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 (~823 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sarasota Suncoast Academy's federal record.
- Compare Sarasota Suncoast Academy 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 Suncoast Academy
How many students attend Sarasota Suncoast Academy?
Sarasota Suncoast Academy has 823 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Sarasota, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sarasota Suncoast Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Sarasota Suncoast Academy is 16.1:1, which is 10% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 3% 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 Suncoast Academy?
26.3% of students at Sarasota Suncoast Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sarasota Suncoast Academy?
The largest demographic group at Sarasota Suncoast Academy is White at 81.0% of enrollment, in Sarasota, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sarasota Suncoast Academy?
Sarasota Suncoast Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Sarasota Suncoast Academy rank among elementary schools in Sarasota?
By Resource Investment Index, Sarasota Suncoast Academy ranks #3 of 5 elementary 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 elementary schools in Sarasota on the city page.
Is Sarasota Suncoast Academy a good school?
Sarasota Suncoast Academy earns 40/100 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 Suncoast Academy, 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.