Enrollment
859
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120153007610
Watergrass Elementary School — Wesley Chapel, FL
Federal NCES profile for Watergrass Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 56
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.6%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Watergrass Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Watergrass Elementary School reports 859 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 47.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% above the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% below the Florida average and 35% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pasco spends $11,709 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.3% from local sources (property taxes), 45.9% from the state, and 17.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Watergrass Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Florida state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.4:1 | ▲ 1% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.6% | ▼ 35% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 859 | top 74% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
33.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 35% 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
18.4:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 65% in Florida — lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
17.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$11,709
per pupil, district-wide
— below Florida avg of $12,756
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 859 Top 74% in Florida — larger than 26% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 47.0
Students per teacher 18.4:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.6% -35% vs state
NCES ID 120153007610
Student demographics
White 39.0%
Hispanic or Latino 31.1%
African American 15.6%
Two or More 9.5%
Asian 4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 39.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.7%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pasco, which includes Watergrass Elementary School.
$11,709
Per student
-8%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.3%
State 45.9%
Federal 17.8%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,233
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,218
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,206
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,201
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,006
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
Similar other schools in Wesley Chapel
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Wiregrass Elementary School
Standard public school
957 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
New River Elementary School
Standard public school
939 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Double Branch Elementary School
Standard public school
829 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Wesley Chapel Elementary School
Standard public school
724 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Seven Oaks Elementary School
Standard public school
656 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Veterans Elementary School
Standard public school
638 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Watergrass Elementary School
How many students attend Watergrass Elementary School?
Watergrass Elementary School has 859 students enrolled. It is a other school in WESLEY CHAPEL, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Watergrass Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Watergrass Elementary School is 18.4:1, which is 1% higher than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Watergrass Elementary School?
33.6% of students at Watergrass Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Watergrass Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Watergrass Elementary School is White at 39.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in WESLEY CHAPEL, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Watergrass Elementary School?
Watergrass Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.