Enrollment
403
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Gainesville, FL
Stephen Foster Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Stephen Foster Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 120003000003
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 11
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Stephen Foster Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Florida schools.
- #8 of 9
- elementary schools in Gainesville · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.9:1
- small classes for Florida
- 59.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Stephen Foster Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 78% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Stephen Foster Elementary School ranks #8 of 9 elementary schools in Gainesville, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.8%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Stephen Foster Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Stephen Foster Elementary School
Stephen Foster Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Gainesville, Florida, enrolling 403 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 59.8% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 403 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 593 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #281.
Its student body is led by African American (46%) and White (22%) (diversity index 70/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 403 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.7% 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 Stephen Foster 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 Stephen Foster Elementary School compares
Stephen Foster 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 | 13.9:1 | ▼ 22% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.8% | ▲ 15% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 403 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
403
Bigger than 48% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 22% in Florida - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
35.7%
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
$10,805
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 403 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 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 46.4%
White 22.3%
Hispanic or Latino 16.6%
Two or More 8.4%
Asian 6.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 46.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.7, Stephen Foster Elementary School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alachua, which includes Stephen Foster Elementary School.
$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 Stephen Foster Elementary School 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 | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Stephen Foster Elementary School'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 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 (~403 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Stephen Foster Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Stephen Foster Elementary School 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 Stephen Foster Elementary School
How many students attend Stephen Foster Elementary School?
Stephen Foster Elementary School has 403 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Gainesville, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Stephen Foster Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Stephen Foster Elementary School is 13.9:1, which is 22% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 11% 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 Stephen Foster Elementary School?
59.8% of students at Stephen Foster Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Stephen Foster Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Stephen Foster Elementary School is African American at 46.4% of enrollment, in Gainesville, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Stephen Foster Elementary School?
Stephen Foster 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 Stephen Foster Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Gainesville?
By Resource Investment Index, Stephen Foster Elementary School ranks #8 of 9 elementary 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 elementary schools in Gainesville on the city page.
Is Stephen Foster Elementary School a good school?
Stephen Foster Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% 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 Stephen Foster Elementary School, 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.