Enrollment
830
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Tamarac, FL
Challenger Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Challenger Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120018003682
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 3
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Challenger Elementary School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #3 of 3
- schools in Tamarac · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.3:1
- students per teacher
- 58.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Challenger Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Challenger Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 schools in Tamarac, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.2%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Challenger Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Challenger Elementary School
Challenger Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Tamarac, Florida, enrolling 830 students.
At 16.3:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 58.2% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 830 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 1,007 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #606.
Its student body is led by African American (50%) and Hispanic or Latino (32%) (diversity index 64/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 415 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Broward also operates Cypress Bay High School (4,579 students) and Western High School (3,510 students) alongside Challenger 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 Challenger Elementary School compares
Challenger 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 | 16.3:1 | ▼ 8% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.2% | ▲ 12% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 830 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
830
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
58.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% 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
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 48% in Florida - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
39.0%
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
$11,419
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 415 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 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 49.8%
Hispanic or Latino 31.9%
White 11.0%
Two or More 4.1%
Asian 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 49.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.6, Challenger Elementary School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Broward, which includes Challenger Elementary School.
$11,419
Per student
+2%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.6%
State 31.2%
Federal 19.2%
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 Challenger Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cypress Bay High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Western High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Coral Glades High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Broward High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Challenger Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,579
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 3,510
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 3,089
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 2,843
- Students per teacher
- 29.6:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 2,492
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
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 (~830 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Challenger Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Challenger Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Broward'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 Challenger Elementary School
How many students attend Challenger Elementary School?
Challenger Elementary School has 830 students enrolled. It is a public school in Tamarac, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Challenger Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Challenger Elementary School is 16.3:1, which is 8% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 4% 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 Challenger Elementary School?
58.2% of students at Challenger Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Challenger Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Challenger Elementary School is African American at 49.8% of enrollment, in Tamarac, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Challenger Elementary School?
Challenger Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower 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 Challenger Elementary School rank among schools in Tamarac?
By Resource Investment Index, Challenger Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 schools in Tamarac, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Tamarac on the city page.
Is Challenger Elementary School a good school?
Challenger Elementary School earns 31/100 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 Broward?
Besides Challenger Elementary School, Broward also operates Cypress Bay High School (4,579 students), Western High School (3,510 students), and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (3,089 students). See the Broward 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.