Enrollment
863
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Palmetto, FL
Virgil Mills Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Virgil Mills Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120123004204
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Virgil Mills Elementary School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #6 of 10
- schools in Palmetto · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.6:1
- students per teacher
- 36.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Virgil Mills Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Virgil Mills Elementary School ranks #6 of 10 schools in Palmetto, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.6%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Virgil Mills Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Virgil Mills Elementary School
Virgil Mills Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Palmetto, Florida, enrolling 863 students.
At 16.6:1, 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 below the state's typical profile, with 36.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 863 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 705 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #289.
Its student body is led by White (59%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 432 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Manatee also operates Lakewood Ranch High School (2,422 students) and Parrish Community High School (2,266 students) alongside Virgil Mills 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 Virgil Mills Elementary School compares
Virgil Mills 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 | 16.6:1 | ▼ 7% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.6% | ▼ 30% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 863 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.6:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
863
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
36.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.6:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 51% in Florida - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.0%
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
$10,900
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 432 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 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
White 58.7%
Hispanic or Latino 21.0%
African American 10.1%
Two or More 7.6%
Asian 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 58.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.5, Virgil Mills 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 Manatee, which includes Virgil Mills Elementary School.
$10,900
Per student
-2%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.3%
State 25.8%
Federal 15.9%
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 Virgil Mills Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood Ranch High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Parrish Community High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Palmetto High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Manatee School for the Arts | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Manatee High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Virgil Mills Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,422
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 2,266
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 2,185
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 2,051
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,998
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
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 (~863 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Virgil Mills Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Virgil Mills Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Manatee'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 Virgil Mills Elementary School
How many students attend Virgil Mills Elementary School?
Virgil Mills Elementary School has 863 students enrolled. It is a public school in Palmetto, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Virgil Mills Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Virgil Mills Elementary School is 16.6:1, which is 7% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 6% 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 Virgil Mills Elementary School?
36.6% of students at Virgil Mills Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Virgil Mills Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Virgil Mills Elementary School is White at 58.7% of enrollment, in Palmetto, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Virgil Mills Elementary School?
Virgil Mills Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Virgil Mills Elementary School rank among schools in Palmetto?
By Resource Investment Index, Virgil Mills Elementary School ranks #6 of 10 schools in Palmetto, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Palmetto on the city page.
Is Virgil Mills Elementary School a good school?
Virgil Mills Elementary School earns 39/100 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 Manatee?
Besides Virgil Mills Elementary School, Manatee also operates Lakewood Ranch High School (2,422 students), Parrish Community High School (2,266 students), and Palmetto High School (2,185 students). See the Manatee 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.