Enrollment
695
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lake City, FL
Westside Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Westside Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120036004332
👥 S:T ratio 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Westside Elementary School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #4 of 12
- schools in Lake City · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.3:1
- students per teacher
- 47.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Westside Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Westside Elementary School ranks #4 of 12 schools in Lake City, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.0%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Westside Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Westside Elementary School
Westside Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Lake City, Florida, enrolling 695 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 47.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 695 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 878 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #468.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and African American (14%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 695 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 26.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Columbia also operates Columbia High School (1,711 students) and Fort White High School (1,101 students) alongside Westside 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 Westside Elementary School compares
Westside 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 | 18.3:1 | ▲ 3% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.0% | ▼ 10% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 695 | top 40% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.3:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
695
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
47.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% 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
18.3:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 66% in Florida - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.2%
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
$10,799
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 695 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 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 64.5%
African American 14.1%
Two or More 10.1%
Hispanic or Latino 7.9%
Asian 3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 64.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.7, Westside 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 Columbia, which includes Westside Elementary School.
$10,799
Per student
-3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.7%
State 52.5%
Federal 26.9%
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 Westside Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fort White High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Belmont Academy | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lake City Middle School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Eastside Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Westside Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,711
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,101
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 828
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 809
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 655
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- 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 (~695 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Westside Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Westside Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Columbia'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 Westside Elementary School
How many students attend Westside Elementary School?
Westside Elementary School has 695 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lake City, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Westside Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Westside Elementary School is 18.3:1, which is 3% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Westside Elementary School?
47.0% of students at Westside Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Westside Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Westside Elementary School is White at 64.5% of enrollment, in Lake City, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Westside Elementary School?
Westside Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Westside Elementary School rank among schools in Lake City?
By Resource Investment Index, Westside Elementary School ranks #4 of 12 schools in Lake 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 Lake City on the city page.
Is Westside Elementary School a good school?
Westside Elementary School earns 35/100 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 Columbia?
Besides Westside Elementary School, Columbia also operates Columbia High School (1,711 students), Fort White High School (1,101 students), and Belmont Academy (828 students). See the Columbia 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.