Enrollment
1,156
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · St Augustine, FL
Wards Creek Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Wards Creek Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120174007272
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wards Creek Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #9 of 21
- schools in St Augustine · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.5:1
- students per teacher
- 15.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Wards Creek Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wards Creek Elementary School ranks #9 of 21 schools in St Augustine, FL.
School address
NCES ID 120174007272 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
66.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.9%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wards Creek Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wards Creek Elementary School
Wards Creek Elementary School is a lower-poverty, large combined-grade school in St Augustine, Florida, enrolling 1,156 students.
At 17.5:1, 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.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 15.9% free-meal eligibility runs 69% below the Florida average.
Enrollment of 1,156 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 294 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #95.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Asian (18%) (diversity index 64/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1156 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
St. Johns also operates Tocoi Creek High School (2,616 students) and Creekside High School (2,479 students) alongside Wards Creek 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 Wards Creek Elementary School compares
Wards Creek 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 | 17.5:1 | ▼ 2% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.9% | ▼ 69% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,156 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.5:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,156
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
15.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 69% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.5:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 60% in Florida - lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
10.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$9,233
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 1156 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 54.7%
Asian 17.6%
Hispanic or Latino 16.3%
Two or More 7.5%
African American 3.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 54.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.6, Wards Creek 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 St. Johns, which includes Wards Creek Elementary School.
$9,233
Per student
-17%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-44%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.0%
State 37.4%
Federal 6.7%
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 Wards Creek Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tocoi Creek High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Creekside High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Beachside High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Allen D Nease Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bartram Trail High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wards Creek Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,616
- Students per teacher
- 31.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 2,479
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,214
- Students per teacher
- 40.3:1
- Resource Index
- 0/100
- Enrollment
- 2,177
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,153
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~1,156 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wards Creek Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Wards Creek Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- St. Johns'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 Wards Creek Elementary School
How many students attend Wards Creek Elementary School?
Wards Creek Elementary School has 1,156 students enrolled. It is a public school in St Augustine, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wards Creek Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Wards Creek Elementary School is 17.5:1, which is 2% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 11% 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 Wards Creek Elementary School?
15.9% of students at Wards Creek Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wards Creek Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Wards Creek Elementary School is White at 54.7% of enrollment, in St Augustine, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wards Creek Elementary School?
Wards Creek Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Wards Creek Elementary School rank among schools in St Augustine?
By Resource Investment Index, Wards Creek Elementary School ranks #9 of 21 schools in St Augustine, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in St Augustine on the city page.
Is Wards Creek Elementary School a good school?
Wards Creek Elementary School earns 44/100 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 St. Johns?
Besides Wards Creek Elementary School, St. Johns also operates Tocoi Creek High School (2,616 students), Creekside High School (2,479 students), and Beachside High School (2,214 students). See the St. Johns 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.