Enrollment
1,013
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Winter Garden, FL
Water Spring Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Water Spring Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120144008611
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Water Spring Elementary earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #7 of 8
- schools in Winter Garden · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.9:1
- students per teacher
- 21.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Water Spring Elementary has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Water Spring Elementary ranks #7 of 8 schools in Winter Garden, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.4%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Water Spring Elementary compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Water Spring Elementary
Water Spring Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Winter Garden, Florida, enrolling 1,013 students.
At 16.9:1, 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, 21.4% free-meal eligibility runs 59% below the Florida average.
Enrollment of 1,013 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Among 419 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #399, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (53%) and White (32%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1013 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 55.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Orange also operates Apopka High (3,446 students) and Timber Creek High (3,383 students) alongside Water Spring Elementary.
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 Water Spring Elementary compares
Water Spring Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.9:1 | ▼ 5% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.4% | ▼ 59% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,013 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.9:1
Leaner classes than 31% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,013
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% 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
16.9:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 54% in Florida - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
55.4%
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
$11,578
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 1013 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 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 53.3%
White 31.9%
Asian 6.7%
Two or More 4.4%
African American 3.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 53.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.6, Water Spring Elementary is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orange, which includes Water Spring Elementary.
$11,578
Per student
+4%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 53.2%
State 28.8%
Federal 18.0%
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 Water Spring Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apopka High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Timber Creek High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Winter Park High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Colonial High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Windermere High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Water Spring Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,446
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 3,383
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 3,277
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 3,239
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 3,217
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~1,013 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Water Spring Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Water Spring Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Orange'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 Water Spring Elementary
How many students attend Water Spring Elementary?
Water Spring Elementary has 1,013 students enrolled. It is a public school in Winter Garden, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Water Spring Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Water Spring Elementary is 16.9:1, which is 5% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 8% 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 Water Spring Elementary?
21.4% of students at Water Spring Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Water Spring Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Water Spring Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 53.3% of enrollment, in Winter Garden, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Water Spring Elementary?
Water Spring Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower 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 Water Spring Elementary rank among schools in Winter Garden?
By Resource Investment Index, Water Spring Elementary ranks #7 of 8 schools in Winter Garden, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Winter Garden on the city page.
Is Water Spring Elementary a good school?
Water Spring Elementary earns 26/100 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 Orange?
Besides Water Spring Elementary, Orange also operates Apopka High (3,446 students), Timber Creek High (3,383 students), and Winter Park High (3,277 students). See the Orange 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.