Enrollment
1,593
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Ruskin, FL
Shields Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Shields Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 120087004156
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Shields Middle School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #4 of 8
- public schools in Ruskin · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.5:1
- students per teacher
- 63.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Shields Middle School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Shields Middle School ranks #4 of 8 public schools in Ruskin, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
86.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.9%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shields Middle School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Shields Middle School
Shields Middle School is a higher-need, large middle school in Ruskin, Florida, enrolling 1,593 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 63.9% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Florida, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,593 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 305 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #121.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (61%) and African American (26%) (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 531 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Its district draws 16.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 540 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,593 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 34 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Hillsborough also operates Florida Connections Academy (5,748 students) and Jule F Sumner High School (3,602 students) alongside Shields 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 Shields Middle School compares
Shields 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 | 18.5:1 | ▲ 4% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.9% | ▲ 23% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,593 | top 7% | - | - |
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.
1,593
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
63.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% 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.
Funding equity
$9,835
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 531 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
106
in-school suspensions + 434 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 33.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 34 expulsions.
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 60.5%
African American 26.2%
White 8.8%
Two or More 3.2%
Asian 1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 60.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.6, Shields Middle School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hillsborough, which includes Shields Middle School.
$9,835
Per student
-12%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.2%
State 40.7%
Federal 16.1%
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 Shields Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Connections Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jule F Sumner High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Newsome High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Alonso High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Plant City High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Shields Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 5,748
- Students per teacher
- 40.5:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,602
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 3,157
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 2,863
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,572
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
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 (~1,593 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Shields Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Shields Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Hillsborough'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 Shields Middle School
How many students attend Shields Middle School?
Shields Middle School has 1,593 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Ruskin, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shields Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Shields Middle 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 Shields Middle School?
63.9% of students at Shields Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shields Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Shields Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 60.5% of enrollment, in Ruskin, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shields Middle School?
Shields Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Shields Middle School rank among public schools in Ruskin?
By Resource Investment Index, Shields Middle School ranks #4 of 8 public schools in Ruskin, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Ruskin on the city page.
Is Shields Middle School a good school?
Shields Middle School earns 32/100 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 Hillsborough?
Besides Shields Middle School, Hillsborough also operates Florida Connections Academy (5,748 students), Jule F Sumner High School (3,602 students), and Newsome High School (3,157 students). See the Hillsborough 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.