LAWTON M. CHILES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

As an average-sized K-5 school in GAINESVILLE, Florida, LAWTON M. CHILES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL hosts 692 students from grades pre-K through 5, part of ALACHUA.

ALACHUA runs 60 schools in total, collectively educating 28,255 students. LAWTON M. CHILES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one of those campuses.

On the student-mix side, LAWTON M. CHILES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL lists that the most-represented group is White (40%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. The remainder is composed of 23% Black, 15% Hispanic, 14% Asian, 7% multiracial. That is considerably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 61%.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 42 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 16.3:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 17.5:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 35% of students at LAWTON M. CHILES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Alachua County runs at roughly 48%, so the school's eligibility rate is below the surrounding baseline.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), LAWTON M. CHILES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 63.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 67.3%.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Alachua County put median household income runs about $61,949, 49% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Alachua County's 68 public schools (combined enrollment of about 29,618 students), LAWTON M. CHILES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: MYRA TERWILLIGER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, around 1.8 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts LAWTON M. CHILES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL at 3rd of 6; the average score across the group is 59.7%.

The campus sits in a commuter-belt setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 9%: 763 students in 2018 compared to 692 in 2025. The White share of enrollment ticked down from 52% to 40% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio widened from 14.7:1 in 2018 to 16.3:1 today.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.