Enrollment
764
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120159002893
Wendell Watson Elementary School — Lakeland, FL
Federal NCES profile for Wendell Watson Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
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)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.1%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wendell Watson 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
Wendell Watson Elementary School reports 764 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 59.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% below the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 7% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 40.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 23% below the Florida average and 23% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 764 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 49.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Polk spends $12,580 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.2% from local sources (property taxes), 43.8% from the state, and 21.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Wendell Watson 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 | 14.8:1 | ▼ 19% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.1% | ▼ 23% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 764 | top 66% | — | — |
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
40.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 23% 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
14.8:1
students per teacher
— 19% below state mean
Top 25% in Florida — lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
49.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,580
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 764 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 38 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 764 Top 66% in Florida — larger than 34% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 59.0
Students per teacher 14.8:1 -19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 40.1% -23% vs state
NCES ID 120159002893
Student demographics
White 47.1%
Hispanic or Latino 33.1%
African American 14.4%
Two or More 3.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 47.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 764:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 49.1%
In-school suspensions 19
Out-of-school suspensions 38
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk, which includes Wendell Watson Elementary School.
$12,580
Per student
-1%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.2%
State 43.8%
Federal 21.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,105
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,731
- Students per teacher
- 27.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,648
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,632
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,469
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
Similar other schools in Lakeland
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Mckeel Academy of Technology
Standard public school
1,750 students 22.4:1 students per teacher
South Mckeel Academy
Standard public school
1,200 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School
Standard public school
899 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Valleyview Elementary School
Standard public school
783 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Rochelle School of the Arts
Standard public school
762 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Scott Lake Elementary School
Standard public school
735 students 15.1:1 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 Wendell Watson Elementary School
How many students attend Wendell Watson Elementary School?
Wendell Watson Elementary School has 764 students enrolled. It is a other school in LAKELAND, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wendell Watson Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Wendell Watson Elementary School is 14.8:1, which is 19% lower than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 7% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wendell Watson Elementary School?
40.1% of students at Wendell Watson Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wendell Watson Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Wendell Watson Elementary School is White at 47.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in LAKELAND, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wendell Watson Elementary School?
Wendell Watson Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.