Enrollment
594
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Palm City, FL
Bessey Creek Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Bessey Creek Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120129003087
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bessey Creek Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #1 of 3
- schools in Palm City · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.1:1
- students per teacher
- 22.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Bessey Creek Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bessey Creek Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Palm City, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.1%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-57% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bessey Creek Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bessey Creek Elementary School
Bessey Creek Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Palm City, Florida, enrolling 594 students.
At 16.1:1, 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.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 22.1% free-meal eligibility runs 57% below the Florida average.
With 594 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 353 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #149.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 594 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
12.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Martin also operates Martin County High School (2,055 students) and South Fork High School (1,775 students) alongside Bessey Creek 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 Bessey Creek Elementary School compares
Bessey Creek 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 | 16.1:1 | ▼ 10% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.1% | ▼ 57% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 594 | top 50% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
594
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 57% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 45% in Florida - lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
12.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,820
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 594 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 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 81.6%
Hispanic or Latino 11.8%
Two or More 4.2%
Asian 1.5%
African American 0.8%
Largest group: White at 81.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.8, Bessey Creek 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 Martin, which includes Bessey Creek Elementary School.
$11,820
Per student
+6%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 72.1%
State 15.1%
Federal 12.8%
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 Bessey Creek Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin County High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Fork High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jensen Beach High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Treasure Coast Classical Academy | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hidden Oaks Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bessey Creek Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,055
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,775
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,722
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,082
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 920
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
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 (~594 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bessey Creek Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Bessey Creek Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Martin'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 Bessey Creek Elementary School
How many students attend Bessey Creek Elementary School?
Bessey Creek Elementary School has 594 students enrolled. It is a public school in Palm City, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bessey Creek Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bessey Creek Elementary School is 16.1:1, which is 10% 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 Bessey Creek Elementary School?
22.1% of students at Bessey Creek Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bessey Creek Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Bessey Creek Elementary School is White at 81.6% of enrollment, in Palm City, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bessey Creek Elementary School?
Bessey Creek Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Bessey Creek Elementary School rank among schools in Palm City?
By Resource Investment Index, Bessey Creek Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Palm City, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Palm City on the city page.
Is Bessey Creek Elementary School a good school?
Bessey Creek Elementary School earns 44/100 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 Martin?
Besides Bessey Creek Elementary School, Martin also operates Martin County High School (2,055 students), South Fork High School (1,775 students), and Jensen Beach High School (1,722 students). See the Martin 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.