Enrollment
1,456
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lehigh Acres, FL
Sunshine Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Sunshine Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120108002472
👥 S:T ratio 6
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 13
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sunshine Elementary School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Florida schools.
- #1 of 7
- schools in Lehigh Acres · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.5:1
- large classes for Florida
- 74.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Sunshine Elementary School has class sizes larger than 89% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sunshine Elementary School ranks #1 of 7 schools in Lehigh Acres, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
62.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.5:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+32% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.2%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sunshine Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sunshine Elementary School
Sunshine Elementary School is a higher-need, large combined-grade school in Lehigh Acres, Florida, enrolling 1,456 students.
Class loads run heavy: 23.5:1 is larger than about 89% of Florida schools and 32% above the 17.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 74.2% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Florida, bigger than 91% of state schools at 1,456 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 221 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #117.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (64%) and African American (24%) (diversity index 53/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Lee also operates Gateway Charter Elementary School (3,192 students) and Lehigh Senior High School (2,550 students) alongside Sunshine 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 Sunshine Elementary School compares
Sunshine 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 | 23.5:1 | ▲ 32% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.2% | ▲ 43% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,456 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.5:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,456
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 43% 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
23.5:1
students per teacher
- 32% above state mean
Top 89% in Florida - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
35.0%
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
$10,788
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 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 63.8%
African American 24.3%
White 8.8%
Two or More 2.6%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 63.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.5, Sunshine Elementary School is about as mixed as the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lee, which includes Sunshine Elementary School.
$10,788
Per student
-3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.0%
State 25.0%
Federal 17.0%
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 Sunshine Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway Charter Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lehigh Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gateway High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ida S. Baker High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Lee County High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sunshine Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,192
- Students per teacher
- 51.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 2,550
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 2,343
- Students per teacher
- 31.2:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 2,191
- Students per teacher
- 27.4:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 2,129
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
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 (~1,456 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sunshine Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Sunshine Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Lee'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 Sunshine Elementary School
How many students attend Sunshine Elementary School?
Sunshine Elementary School has 1,456 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lehigh Acres, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sunshine Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sunshine Elementary School is 23.5:1, which is 32% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 50% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sunshine Elementary School?
74.2% of students at Sunshine Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sunshine Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Sunshine Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 63.8% of enrollment, in Lehigh Acres, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sunshine Elementary School?
Sunshine Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sunshine Elementary School rank among schools in Lehigh Acres?
By Resource Investment Index, Sunshine Elementary School ranks #1 of 7 schools in Lehigh Acres, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Lehigh Acres on the city page.
Is Sunshine Elementary School a good school?
Sunshine Elementary School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% 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 Lee?
Besides Sunshine Elementary School, Lee also operates Gateway Charter Elementary School (3,192 students), Lehigh Senior High School (2,550 students), and Gateway High School (2,343 students). See the Lee 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.