Enrollment
885
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Niceville, FL
Bluewater Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Bluewater Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120138002774
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 81
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bluewater Elementary School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #1 of 3
- schools in Niceville · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.8:1
- students per teacher
- 13.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Bluewater Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bluewater Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Niceville, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
56.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
13.8%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-73% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bluewater Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bluewater Elementary School
Bluewater Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Niceville, Florida, enrolling 885 students.
At 15.8:1, 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, 13.8% free-meal eligibility runs 73% below the Florida average.
Enrollment of 885 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 286 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #69.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 885 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.8% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 19.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Okaloosa also operates Crestview High School (2,376 students) and Niceville Senior High School (2,036 students) alongside Bluewater 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 Bluewater Elementary School compares
Bluewater 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 | 15.8:1 | ▼ 11% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.8% | ▼ 73% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 885 | top 25% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.8:1
Leaner classes than 40% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
885
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
13.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 73% 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
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 42% in Florida - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
7.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$10,590
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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 885 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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 80.0%
Hispanic or Latino 10.7%
Two or More 6.9%
African American 1.2%
Asian 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 80.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.4, Bluewater 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 Okaloosa, which includes Bluewater Elementary School.
$10,590
Per student
-5%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.0%
State 37.4%
Federal 19.6%
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 Bluewater Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crestview High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Niceville Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Choctawhatchee Senior High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fort Walton Beach High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Baker School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bluewater Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,376
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 2,036
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,720
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,550
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,434
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
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 (~885 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bluewater Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Bluewater Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Okaloosa'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 Bluewater Elementary School
How many students attend Bluewater Elementary School?
Bluewater Elementary School has 885 students enrolled. It is a public school in Niceville, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bluewater Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bluewater Elementary School is 15.8:1, which is 11% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 1% 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 Bluewater Elementary School?
13.8% of students at Bluewater Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bluewater Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Bluewater Elementary School is White at 80.0% of enrollment, in Niceville, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bluewater Elementary School?
Bluewater Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Bluewater Elementary School rank among schools in Niceville?
By Resource Investment Index, Bluewater Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Niceville, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Niceville on the city page.
Is Bluewater Elementary School a good school?
Bluewater Elementary School earns 47/100 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 Okaloosa?
Besides Bluewater Elementary School, Okaloosa also operates Crestview High School (2,376 students), Niceville Senior High School (2,036 students), and Choctawhatchee Senior High School (1,720 students). See the Okaloosa 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.