Enrollment
218
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120177004149
Dale Cassens Education Complex — Fort Pierce, FL
Federal NCES profile for Dale Cassens Education Complex, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 56/100.
👥 Class size 64
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 89
📋 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)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
-51% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
79.0%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dale Cassens Education Complex 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
Dale Cassens Education Complex reports 218 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 51% below the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 43% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 79.0% 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. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 55 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding St. Lucie spends $11,649 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 46.9% from local sources (property taxes), 35.5% from the state, and 17.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (C), 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 Dale Cassens Education Complex 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 | 9:1 | ▼ 51% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 79.0% | ▲ 52% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 218 | top 17% | — | — |
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
79.0%
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
9:1
students per teacher
— 51% below state mean
Top 5% in Florida — lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
100.0%
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
$11,649
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 55 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 123 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 57.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 218 Top 17% in Florida — larger than 83% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 9:1 -51% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 79.0% +52% vs state
NCES ID 120177004149
Student demographics
African American 57.3%
Hispanic or Latino 24.8%
White 15.6%
Two or More 1.4%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 57.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 55:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 123
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Lucie, which includes Dale Cassens Education Complex.
$11,649
Per student
-9%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 46.9%
State 35.5%
Federal 17.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,178
- Students per teacher
- 26.6:1
- Enrollment
- 3,124
- Students per teacher
- 27.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,914
- Students per teacher
- 24.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,956
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,793
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
Similar other schools in Fort Pierce
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Fort Pierce Central High School
Standard public school
3,178 students 26.6:1 students per teacher
Lincoln Park Academy
Standard public school
1,667 students 22.5:1 students per teacher
Samuel S. Gaines Academy of Emerging Technologies
Standard public school
786 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Lawnwood Elementary School
Standard public school
765 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Weatherbee Elementary School
Standard public school
726 students 16:1 students per teacher
St. Lucie Elementary School
Standard public school
722 students 16.2:1 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 Dale Cassens Education Complex
How many students attend Dale Cassens Education Complex?
Dale Cassens Education Complex has 218 students enrolled. It is a other school in FORT PIERCE, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dale Cassens Education Complex?
The student-teacher ratio at Dale Cassens Education Complex is 9:1, which is 51% lower than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 43% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dale Cassens Education Complex?
79.0% of students at Dale Cassens Education Complex are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dale Cassens Education Complex?
The largest demographic group at Dale Cassens Education Complex is African American at 57.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in FORT PIERCE, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dale Cassens Education Complex?
Dale Cassens Education Complex has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (C) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.