Enrollment
841
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · West Palm Beach, FL
Bear Lakes Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Bear Lakes Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 64/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 120150002695
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 89
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bear Lakes Middle School earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #1 of 6
- middle schools in West Palm Beach · Resource Index
- 64
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.8:1
- students per teacher
- 73.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Bear Lakes Middle School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bear Lakes Middle School ranks #1 of 6 middle schools in West Palm Beach, FL.
School address
District: Palm Beach · Florida
NCES ID 120150002695 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
57.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.3%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bear Lakes Middle School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bear Lakes Middle School
Bear Lakes Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in West Palm Beach, Florida, enrolling 841 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 73.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 841 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 3,996 Florida schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 758 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #1, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (64%) and Hispanic or Latino (28%) (diversity index 51/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 210 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 4.4% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 15.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Palm Beach also operates John I. Leonard High School (3,262 students) and Jupiter High School (3,122 students) alongside Bear Lakes 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 Bear Lakes Middle School compares
Bear Lakes 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 | 14.8:1 | ▼ 17% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.3% | ▲ 41% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 841 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
841
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
73.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% 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
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 31% in Florida - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
4.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$12,727
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 210 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 54 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.5 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
African American 64.0%
Hispanic or Latino 28.3%
White 5.2%
Two or More 1.3%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 64.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.7, Bear Lakes Middle School is about as mixed as the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palm Beach, which includes Bear Lakes Middle School.
$12,727
Per student
+14%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 63.0%
State 21.7%
Federal 15.3%
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 Bear Lakes Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| John I. Leonard High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jupiter High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Park Vista Community High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Boca Raton Community High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Palm Beach Lakes High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bear Lakes Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,262
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 3,122
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,881
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,819
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,809
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
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 (~841 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bear Lakes Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Bear Lakes Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Palm Beach'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 Bear Lakes Middle School
How many students attend Bear Lakes Middle School?
Bear Lakes Middle School has 841 students enrolled. It is a middle school in West Palm Beach, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bear Lakes Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bear Lakes Middle School is 14.8:1, which is 17% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bear Lakes Middle School?
73.3% of students at Bear Lakes Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bear Lakes Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Bear Lakes Middle School is African American at 64.0% of enrollment, in West Palm Beach, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bear Lakes Middle School?
Bear Lakes Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (higher 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 Bear Lakes Middle School rank among middle schools in West Palm Beach?
By Resource Investment Index, Bear Lakes Middle School ranks #1 of 6 middle schools in West Palm Beach, 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 West Palm Beach on the city page.
Is Bear Lakes Middle School a good school?
Bear Lakes Middle School earns 64/100 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 Palm Beach?
Besides Bear Lakes Middle School, Palm Beach also operates John I. Leonard High School (3,262 students), Jupiter High School (3,122 students), and Park Vista Community High School (2,881 students). See the Palm Beach 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.