Enrollment
324
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cutler Bay, FL
Bel-Aire Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Bel-Aire Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120039000374
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 8
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bel-Aire Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #2 of 5
- schools in Cutler Bay · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.2:1
- students per teacher
- 71.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Bel-Aire Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bel-Aire Elementary School ranks #2 of 5 schools in Cutler Bay, FL.
School address
District: Miami-Dade · Florida
NCES ID 120039000374 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.8%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bel-Aire Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bel-Aire Elementary School
Bel-Aire Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Cutler Bay, Florida, enrolling 324 students.
At 16.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Florida median, within a few percentage points of the 17.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 71.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 324 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 366 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #180.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (74%) and African American (22%) (diversity index 41/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 324 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Miami-Dade also operates John a. Ferguson Senior High (4,291 students) and Coral Reef Senior High School (3,399 students) alongside Bel-Aire 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 Bel-Aire Elementary School compares
Bel-Aire 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 | 16.2:1 | ▼ 9% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.8% | ▲ 38% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 324 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
324
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
71.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 47% in Florida - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
37.0%
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
$12,258
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 324 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 73.8%
African American 22.2%
White 1.9%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 73.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.6, Bel-Aire Elementary School is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Miami-Dade, which includes Bel-Aire Elementary School.
$12,258
Per student
+10%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 57.2%
State 23.3%
Federal 19.5%
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 Bel-Aire Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| John a. Ferguson Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Coral Reef Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Dade Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Miami Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hialeah Gardens Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bel-Aire Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,291
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,399
- Students per teacher
- 27:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 3,382
- Students per teacher
- 27.7:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,100
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,009
- Students per teacher
- 28.4:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
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 (~324 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bel-Aire Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Bel-Aire Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Miami-Dade'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 Bel-Aire Elementary School
How many students attend Bel-Aire Elementary School?
Bel-Aire Elementary School has 324 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cutler Bay, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bel-Aire Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bel-Aire Elementary School is 16.2:1, which is 9% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 3% higher 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 Bel-Aire Elementary School?
71.8% of students at Bel-Aire Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bel-Aire Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Bel-Aire Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 73.8% of enrollment, in Cutler Bay, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bel-Aire Elementary School?
Bel-Aire Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Bel-Aire Elementary School rank among schools in Cutler Bay?
By Resource Investment Index, Bel-Aire Elementary School ranks #2 of 5 schools in Cutler Bay, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Cutler Bay on the city page.
Is Bel-Aire Elementary School a good school?
Bel-Aire Elementary School earns 37/100 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 Miami-Dade?
Besides Bel-Aire Elementary School, Miami-Dade also operates John a. Ferguson Senior High (4,291 students), Coral Reef Senior High School (3,399 students), and South Dade Senior High School (3,382 students). See the Miami-Dade 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.