Enrollment
809
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Plant City, FL
Walden Lake Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Walden Lake Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120087002830
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Walden Lake Elementary School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #4 of 14
- schools in Plant City · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15:1
- students per teacher
- 44.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Walden Lake Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Walden Lake Elementary School ranks #4 of 14 schools in Plant City, FL.
School address
District: Hillsborough · Florida
NCES ID 120087002830 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
54.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.3%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Walden Lake Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Walden Lake Elementary School
Walden Lake Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Plant City, Florida, enrolling 809 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 44.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 809 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 849 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #275.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (33%) (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 405 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Hillsborough also operates Florida Connections Academy (5,748 students) and Jule F Sumner High School (3,602 students) alongside Walden Lake 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 Walden Lake Elementary School compares
Walden Lake 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 | 15:1 | ▼ 16% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.3% | ▼ 15% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 809 | top 30% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15:1
Leaner classes than 47% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
809
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 33% in Florida - lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
29.9%
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
$9,835
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 405 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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 54.8%
Hispanic or Latino 33.4%
African American 6.4%
Two or More 3.7%
Asian 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 54.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.2, Walden Lake 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 Hillsborough, which includes Walden Lake Elementary School.
$9,835
Per student
-12%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.2%
State 40.7%
Federal 16.1%
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 Walden Lake Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Connections Academy | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jule F Sumner High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Newsome High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Alonso High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Plant City High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Walden Lake Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 5,748
- Students per teacher
- 40.5:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,602
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 3,157
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 2,863
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,572
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
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 (~809 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Walden Lake Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Walden Lake Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Hillsborough'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 Walden Lake Elementary School
How many students attend Walden Lake Elementary School?
Walden Lake Elementary School has 809 students enrolled. It is a public school in Plant City, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Walden Lake Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Walden Lake Elementary School is 15:1, which is 16% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 4% 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 Walden Lake Elementary School?
44.3% of students at Walden Lake Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Walden Lake Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Walden Lake Elementary School is White at 54.8% of enrollment, in Plant City, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Walden Lake Elementary School?
Walden Lake 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 Walden Lake Elementary School rank among schools in Plant City?
By Resource Investment Index, Walden Lake Elementary School ranks #4 of 14 schools in Plant 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 Plant City on the city page.
Is Walden Lake Elementary School a good school?
Walden Lake 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 Hillsborough?
Besides Walden Lake Elementary School, Hillsborough also operates Florida Connections Academy (5,748 students), Jule F Sumner High School (3,602 students), and Newsome High School (3,157 students). See the Hillsborough 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.