Enrollment
275
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Palatka, FL
The Children's Reading Center
Federal NCES profile for The Children's Reading Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 66/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 120162004139Charter school
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
The Children's Reading Center earns 66/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data.
- #1 of 4
- elementary schools in Palatka · Resource Index
- 66
- Resource Index · Higher
- 38.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 275
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, The Children's Reading Center ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Palatka, FL.
School address
Free-lunch eligible
38.5%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-26% vs state
What stands out at The Children's Reading Center
The Children's Reading Center is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Palatka, Florida, enrolling 275 students.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 38.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 275 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 3,996 Florida schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 128 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #5, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (60%) and African American (23%) (diversity index 57/100).
15.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 29.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Putnam also operates Palatka Jr - Sr High School (1,568 students) and Middleton-Burney Elementary School (1,056 students) alongside The Children's Reading Center.
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 The Children's Reading Center compares
The Children's Reading Center on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.5% | ▼ 26% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 275 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
275
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
38.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 26% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Engagement
15.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,305
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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
White 60.0%
African American 23.3%
Hispanic or Latino 8.4%
Two or More 7.3%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 60.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.3, The Children's Reading Center is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Putnam, which includes The Children's Reading Center.
$11,305
Per student
+1%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.3%
State 44.0%
Federal 29.7%
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 The Children's Reading Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palatka Jr - Sr High School | Larger | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
| Middleton-Burney Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
| Interlachen Jr-Sr High School | Larger | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
| Crescent City Jr-Sr High School | Larger | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
| Robert H. Jenkins Jr Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to The Children's Reading Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,568
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,056
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 999
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 945
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 844
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
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.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on The Children's Reading Center's federal record.
- Compare The Children's Reading Center against another school. Compare schools
- Putnam'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 The Children's Reading Center
How many students attend The Children's Reading Center?
The Children's Reading Center has 275 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Palatka, FL.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at The Children's Reading Center?
38.5% of students at The Children's Reading Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Children's Reading Center?
The largest demographic group at The Children's Reading Center is White at 60.0% of enrollment, in Palatka, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Children's Reading Center?
The Children's Reading Center has a Resource Investment Index of 66/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does The Children's Reading Center rank among elementary schools in Palatka?
By Resource Investment Index, The Children's Reading Center ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Palatka, 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 Palatka on the city page.
Is The Children's Reading Center a good school?
The Children's Reading Center earns 66/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. 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 Putnam?
Besides The Children's Reading Center, Putnam also operates Palatka Jr - Sr High School (1,568 students), Middleton-Burney Elementary School (1,056 students), and Interlachen Jr-Sr High School (999 students). See the Putnam 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.