Enrollment
492
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lake City, FL
Summers Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Summers Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120036000364
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 2
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Summers Elementary School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #8 of 12
- schools in Lake City · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.9:1
- students per teacher
- 72.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Summers Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Summers Elementary School ranks #8 of 12 schools in Lake City, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.1%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Summers Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Summers Elementary School
Summers Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Lake City, Florida, enrolling 492 students.
At 15.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Florida median, within a few percentage points of the 17.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 72.1% of students eligible for free meals.
With 492 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Among 811 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #594, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (41%) and White (37%) (diversity index 68/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 492 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 26.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Columbia also operates Columbia High School (1,711 students) and Fort White High School (1,101 students) alongside Summers 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 Summers Elementary School compares
Summers 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 | 15.9:1 | ▼ 11% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.1% | ▲ 39% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 492 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.9:1
Leaner classes than 39% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
492
Bigger than 61% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
72.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 39% 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
15.9:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 43% in Florida - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
23.0%
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
$10,799
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 492 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.1 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 40.7%
White 37.0%
Hispanic or Latino 11.8%
Two or More 9.3%
Asian 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 40.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.5, Summers Elementary School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia, which includes Summers Elementary School.
$10,799
Per student
-3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.7%
State 52.5%
Federal 26.9%
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 Summers Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fort White High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Belmont Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lake City Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Westside Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Summers Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,711
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,101
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 828
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 809
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 695
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~492 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Summers Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Summers Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Columbia'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 Summers Elementary School
How many students attend Summers Elementary School?
Summers Elementary School has 492 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lake City, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Summers Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Summers Elementary School is 15.9:1, which is 11% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 1% higher 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 Summers Elementary School?
72.1% of students at Summers Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Summers Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Summers Elementary School is African American at 40.7% of enrollment, in Lake City, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Summers Elementary School?
Summers Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 Summers Elementary School rank among schools in Lake City?
By Resource Investment Index, Summers Elementary School ranks #8 of 12 schools in Lake City, 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 City on the city page.
Is Summers Elementary School a good school?
Summers Elementary School earns 28/100 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 Columbia?
Besides Summers Elementary School, Columbia also operates Columbia High School (1,711 students), Fort White High School (1,101 students), and Belmont Academy (828 students). See the Columbia 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.