Enrollment
139
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Gainesville, FL
Sidney Lanier Center
Federal NCES profile for Sidney Lanier Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120003000006
👥 S:T ratio 71
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 72
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sidney Lanier Center earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of Florida schools.
- #5 of 22
- schools in Gainesville · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 7.3:1
- small classes for Florida
- 53.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Sidney Lanier Center has class sizes smaller than 96% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sidney Lanier Center ranks #5 of 22 schools in Gainesville, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.3:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-59% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.7%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sidney Lanier Center compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sidney Lanier Center
Sidney Lanier Center is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Gainesville, Florida, enrolling 139 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.3:1, Sidney Lanier Center is leaner than roughly 96% of Florida schools and 59% under the state's 17.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 53.7% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 139 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 84 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #32.
Its student body is led by African American (44%) and White (32%) (diversity index 68/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 139 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 66.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Alachua also operates F. W. Buchholz High School (2,416 students) and Gainesville High School (1,825 students) alongside Sidney Lanier Center.
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 Sidney Lanier Center compares
Sidney Lanier Center on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 7.3:1 | ▼ 59% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.7% | ▲ 3% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 139 | top 87% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.3:1
Leaner classes than 96% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
139
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% 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
7.3:1
students per teacher
- 59% below state mean
Top 4% in Florida - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
66.2%
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
$10,805
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 139 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.5 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
African American 43.9%
White 31.7%
Hispanic or Latino 12.2%
Two or More 8.6%
Asian 3.6%
Largest group: African American at 43.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.3, Sidney Lanier Center is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alachua, which includes Sidney Lanier Center.
$10,805
Per student
-3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.3%
State 36.3%
Federal 19.4%
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 Sidney Lanier Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| F. W. Buchholz High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gainesville High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eastside High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Santa Fe High School | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Kanapaha Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sidney Lanier Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,416
- Students per teacher
- 30.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,825
- Students per teacher
- 29:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,291
- Students per teacher
- 30.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,132
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,014
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
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 (~139 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sidney Lanier Center's federal record.
- Compare Sidney Lanier Center against another school. Compare schools
- Alachua'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 Sidney Lanier Center
How many students attend Sidney Lanier Center?
Sidney Lanier Center has 139 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Gainesville, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sidney Lanier Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Sidney Lanier Center is 7.3:1, which is 59% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 54% lower 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 Sidney Lanier Center?
53.7% of students at Sidney Lanier Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sidney Lanier Center?
The largest demographic group at Sidney Lanier Center is African American at 43.9% of enrollment, in Gainesville, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sidney Lanier Center?
Sidney Lanier Center has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Sidney Lanier Center rank among schools in Gainesville?
By Resource Investment Index, Sidney Lanier Center ranks #5 of 22 schools in Gainesville, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Gainesville on the city page.
Is Sidney Lanier Center a good school?
Sidney Lanier Center earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of Florida schools. 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 Alachua?
Besides Sidney Lanier Center, Alachua also operates F. W. Buchholz High School (2,416 students), Gainesville High School (1,825 students), and Eastside High School (1,291 students). See the Alachua 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.