Other / mixed grade configuration · Lake Worth, FL

South Grade Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for South Grade Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120150004409
0/100100/10036/100
👥 S:T ratio
43
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
38
📋 Attendance
35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

South Grade Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Florida schools.

#6 of 8
schools in Lake Worth · Resource Index
36
Resource Index · Typical
14.2:1
small classes for Florida
85.0%
free-lunch eligible

South Grade Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 75% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, South Grade Elementary School ranks #6 of 8 schools in Lake Worth, FL.

School address

Enrollment

624

Florida · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

44.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

14.2:1

vs 17.8:1 Florida avg

-20% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

85.0%

vs 52.0% Florida avg

+63% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How South Grade Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at South Grade Elementary School

South Grade Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Lake Worth, Florida, enrolling 624 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need is high: 85.0% of students qualify for free meals, 63% above the Florida average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

With 624 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.

Against 480 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #138.

Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 312 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 15.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Palm Beach also operates John I. Leonard High School (3,262 students) and Jupiter High School (3,122 students) alongside South Grade Elementary 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 South Grade Elementary School compares

South Grade Elementary 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 14.2:1 ▼ 20% 17.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 85.0% ▲ 63% 52.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 624 top 47% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

14.2:1
Leaner classes than 55% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
624
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
85.0%
free-lunch eligible - 63% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.2:1
students per teacher - 20% below state mean
Top 25% in Florida - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
26.1%
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
$12,727
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 312 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 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

Hispanic or Latino 80.0%
African American 13.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.4%
White 2.4%
Two or More 0.3%
Asian 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 80.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 34.0/100

Simpson diversity index - at 34.0, South Grade Elementary School is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palm Beach, which includes South Grade Elementary School.

$12,727
Per student
+14%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 63.0%
State 21.7%
Federal 15.3%

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 South Grade Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
John I. Leonard High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Jupiter High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Park Vista Community High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Boca Raton Community High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Palm Beach Lakes High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to South Grade Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Palm Beach · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on South Grade Elementary School's federal record.

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 South Grade Elementary School

How many students attend South Grade Elementary School?

South Grade Elementary School has 624 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lake Worth, FL.

What is the student-teacher ratio at South Grade Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at South Grade Elementary School is 14.2:1, which is 20% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 10% 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 South Grade Elementary School?

85.0% of students at South Grade Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Grade Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at South Grade Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 80.0% of enrollment, in Lake Worth, FL.

What is the Resource Investment Index for South Grade Elementary School?

South Grade Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 South Grade Elementary School rank among schools in Lake Worth?

By Resource Investment Index, South Grade Elementary School ranks #6 of 8 schools in Lake Worth, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Lake Worth on the city page.

Is South Grade Elementary School a good school?

South Grade Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% 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 Palm Beach?

Besides South Grade Elementary School, Palm Beach also operates John I. Leonard High School (3,262 students), Jupiter High School (3,122 students), and Park Vista Community High School (2,881 students). See the Palm Beach district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.