Enrollment
367
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Miami, FL
Tropical Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Tropical Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120039000527
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Tropical Elementary School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Florida schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Florida schools.
- #38 of 161
- schools in Miami · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.1:1
- small classes for Florida
- 58.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Tropical Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 84% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Tropical Elementary School ranks #38 of 161 schools in Miami, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.8%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tropical Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Tropical Elementary School
Tropical Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Miami, Florida, enrolling 367 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 58.8% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 367 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 476 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #51.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 4/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 367 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Miami-Dade also operates John a. Ferguson Senior High (4,291 students) and Coral Reef Senior High School (3,399 students) alongside Tropical 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 Tropical Elementary School compares
Tropical 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 | 13.1:1 | ▼ 26% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.8% | ▲ 13% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 367 | top 74% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.1:1
Leaner classes than 66% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
367
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
58.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 13% 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
13.1:1
students per teacher
- 26% below state mean
Top 16% in Florida - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
18.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,258
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 367 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 97.8%
White 1.1%
African American 0.5%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 4.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 4.3, Tropical Elementary School is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Miami-Dade, which includes Tropical Elementary School.
$12,258
Per student
+10%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 57.2%
State 23.3%
Federal 19.5%
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 Tropical Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| John a. Ferguson Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Coral Reef Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Dade Senior High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Miami Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hialeah Gardens Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Tropical Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,291
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,399
- Students per teacher
- 27:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 3,382
- Students per teacher
- 27.7:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,100
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,009
- Students per teacher
- 28.4:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
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 (~367 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Tropical Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Tropical Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Miami-Dade'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 Tropical Elementary School
How many students attend Tropical Elementary School?
Tropical Elementary School has 367 students enrolled. It is a public school in Miami, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tropical Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Tropical Elementary School is 13.1:1, which is 26% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 17% 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 Tropical Elementary School?
58.8% of students at Tropical Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tropical Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Tropical Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 97.8% of enrollment, in Miami, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tropical Elementary School?
Tropical Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 Tropical Elementary School rank among schools in Miami?
By Resource Investment Index, Tropical Elementary School ranks #38 of 161 schools in Miami, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Miami on the city page.
Is Tropical Elementary School a good school?
Tropical Elementary School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Florida schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Miami-Dade?
Besides Tropical Elementary School, Miami-Dade also operates John a. Ferguson Senior High (4,291 students), Coral Reef Senior High School (3,399 students), and South Dade Senior High School (3,382 students). See the Miami-Dade 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.