Enrollment
168
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 120159003925 Charter school
Compass Middle Charter School — Bartow, FL
Federal NCES profile for Compass Middle Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 31/100.
👥 Class size 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
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)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
79.1%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Compass Middle Charter School 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
Compass Middle Charter School reports 168 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 8.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 20% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 79.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 52% above the Florida average and 53% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 60.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Polk spends $12,580 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.2% from local sources (property taxes), 43.8% from the state, and 21.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Compass Middle Charter School 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 | 19.1:1 | ▲ 4% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 79.1% | ▲ 52% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 168 | top 15% | — | — |
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
79.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 52% 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
19.1:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 71% in Florida — lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
60.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,580
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 168 Top 15% in Florida — larger than 85% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 8.0
Students per teacher 19.1:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 79.1% +52% vs state
NCES ID 120159003925
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 43.5%
White 28.0%
African American 26.8%
Two or More 1.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 43.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 60.7%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 20
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk, which includes Compass Middle Charter School.
$12,580
Per student
-1%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.2%
State 43.8%
Federal 21.0%
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
- 3,105
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,731
- Students per teacher
- 27.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,648
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,632
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,469
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
Similar elementary schools in Bartow
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Compass Middle Charter School
How many students attend Compass Middle Charter School?
Compass Middle Charter School has 168 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in BARTOW, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Compass Middle Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Compass Middle Charter School is 19.1:1, which is 4% higher than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Compass Middle Charter School?
79.1% of students at Compass Middle Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Compass Middle Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Compass Middle Charter School is Hispanic or Latino at 43.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in BARTOW, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Compass Middle Charter School?
Compass Middle Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.