Enrollment
854
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Gainesville, FL
Westwood Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Westwood Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 120003000012
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Westwood Middle School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Florida schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Florida schools.
- #6 of 6
- middle schools in Gainesville · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 29.4:1
- large classes for Florida
- 52.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Westwood Middle School has class sizes larger than 96% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Westwood Middle School ranks #6 of 6 middle schools in Gainesville, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
29.4:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+65% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.7%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Westwood Middle School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Westwood Middle School
Westwood Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Gainesville, Florida, enrolling 854 students.
Class loads run heavy: 29.4:1 is larger than about 96% of Florida schools and 65% above the 17.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 52.7% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 854 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 3,996 Florida schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 936 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #912, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (33%) and African American (32%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 427 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 316 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 854 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Alachua also operates F. W. Buchholz High School (2,416 students) and Gainesville High School (1,825 students) alongside Westwood Middle 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 Westwood Middle School compares
Westwood Middle 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 | 29.4:1 | ▲ 65% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.7% | ▲ 1% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 854 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
29.4:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
854
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
29.4:1
students per teacher
- 65% above state mean
Top 96% in Florida - lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
42.0%
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
$10,805
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 427 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
147
in-school suspensions + 169 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 37.0 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 33.4%
African American 31.9%
Hispanic or Latino 23.3%
Two or More 7.4%
Asian 3.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 33.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 72.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 72.5, Westwood Middle School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alachua, which includes Westwood Middle School.
$10,805
Per student
-3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.3%
State 36.3%
Federal 19.4%
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 Westwood Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| F. W. Buchholz High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gainesville High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Eastside High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Santa Fe High School | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Kanapaha Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Westwood Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,416
- Students per teacher
- 30.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,825
- Students per teacher
- 29:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,291
- Students per teacher
- 30.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,132
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,014
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
Similar middle 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 (~854 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Westwood Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Westwood Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Alachua'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 Westwood Middle School
How many students attend Westwood Middle School?
Westwood Middle School has 854 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Gainesville, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Westwood Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Westwood Middle School is 29.4:1, which is 65% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 87% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Westwood Middle School?
52.7% of students at Westwood Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Westwood Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Westwood Middle School is White at 33.4% of enrollment, in Gainesville, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Westwood Middle School?
Westwood Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (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 Westwood Middle School rank among middle schools in Gainesville?
By Resource Investment Index, Westwood Middle School ranks #6 of 6 middle schools in Gainesville, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Gainesville on the city page.
Is Westwood Middle School a good school?
Westwood Middle School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Florida schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Florida schools. 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 Alachua?
Besides Westwood Middle School, Alachua also operates F. W. Buchholz High School (2,416 students), Gainesville High School (1,825 students), and Eastside High School (1,291 students). See the Alachua 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.