Enrollment
890
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Webster, FL
South Sumter Middle School
Federal NCES profile for South Sumter Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 120180001936
👥 S:T ratio 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 3
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Sumter Middle School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.2:1
- students per teacher
- 56.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 890
- students enrolled
South Sumter Middle School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.2:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.9%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Sumter Middle School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Sumter Middle School
South Sumter Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Webster, Florida, enrolling 890 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 56.9% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 890 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 932 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #372.
Its student body is led by White (61%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 297 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 385 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 890 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 5 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Sumter also operates Villages Charter School (4,062 students) and South Sumter High School (1,077 students) alongside South Sumter 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 South Sumter Middle School compares
South Sumter 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 | 18.2:1 | ▲ 2% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.9% | ▲ 9% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 890 | top 25% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.2:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
890
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
56.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% 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
18.2:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 65% in Florida - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.7%
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
$10,415
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 297 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
293
in-school suspensions + 92 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 32.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 43.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 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
White 60.9%
Hispanic or Latino 22.1%
African American 8.9%
Two or More 6.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 60.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.8, South Sumter 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 Sumter, which includes South Sumter Middle School.
$10,415
Per student
-7%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 71.3%
State 13.5%
Federal 15.2%
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 Sumter Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Villages Charter School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Sumter High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bushnell Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wildwood Middle/ High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Webster Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Sumter Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,062
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 1,077
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 752
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 710
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 690
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~890 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Sumter Middle School's federal record.
- Compare South Sumter Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Sumter'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 South Sumter Middle School
How many students attend South Sumter Middle School?
South Sumter Middle School has 890 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Webster, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Sumter Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Sumter Middle School is 18.2:1, which is 2% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Sumter Middle School?
56.9% of students at South Sumter Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Sumter Middle School?
The largest demographic group at South Sumter Middle School is White at 60.9% of enrollment, in Webster, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Sumter Middle School?
South Sumter Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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).
Is South Sumter Middle School a good school?
South Sumter Middle School earns 35/100 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 Sumter?
Besides South Sumter Middle School, Sumter also operates Villages Charter School (4,062 students), South Sumter High School (1,077 students), and Bushnell Elementary School (752 students). See the Sumter 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.