Enrollment
828
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120036008184 Charter school
Belmont Academy — Lake City, FL
Federal NCES profile for Belmont Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 59
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.8%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Belmont Academy compares with Florida and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Belmont Academy reports 828 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 41.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% above the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 33% below the Florida average and 33% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 828 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Columbia spends $11,370 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 20.7% from local sources (property taxes), 52.5% from the state, and 26.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Belmont Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Florida state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.5:1 | ▲ 1% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.8% | ▼ 33% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 828 | top 72% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
34.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 33% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.5:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 66% in Florida — lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$11,370
per pupil, district-wide
— below Florida avg of $12,756
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 828 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 828 Top 72% in Florida — larger than 28% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 41.0
Students per teacher 18.5:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.8% -33% vs state
NCES ID 120036008184
Student demographics
White 76.6%
Hispanic or Latino 11.8%
Two or More 5.9%
African American 3.1%
Asian 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 76.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 8
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 828:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.5%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 29
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia, which includes Belmont Academy.
$11,370
Per student
-11%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,711
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,101
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 809
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Enrollment
- 695
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 655
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
Similar other schools in Lake City
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Westside Elementary School
Standard public school
695 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Eastside Elementary School
Standard public school
655 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Melrose Park Elementary School
Standard public school
635 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Columbia City Elementary School
Standard public school
585 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Summers Elementary School
Standard public school
492 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Pinemount Elementary School
Standard public school
448 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Belmont Academy
How many students attend Belmont Academy?
Belmont Academy has 828 students enrolled. It is a other school in LAKE CITY, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Belmont Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Belmont Academy is 18.5:1, which is 1% higher than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Belmont Academy?
34.8% of students at Belmont Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Belmont Academy?
The largest demographic group at Belmont Academy is White at 76.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in LAKE CITY, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Belmont Academy?
Belmont Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.