Enrollment
679
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Palm Bay, FL
Discovery Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Discovery Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120015002591
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Discovery Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #4 of 13
- schools in Palm Bay · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.2:1
- students per teacher
- 64.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Discovery Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Discovery Elementary School ranks #4 of 13 schools in Palm Bay, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.1%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Discovery Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Discovery Elementary School
Discovery Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Palm Bay, Florida, enrolling 679 students.
At 16.2:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 64.1% of students eligible for free meals.
With 679 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 1,057 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #314.
Its student body is led by White (36%) and African American (31%) (diversity index 71/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 679 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 17.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Brevard also operates Viera High School (2,334 students) and Melbourne Senior High School (2,210 students) alongside Discovery 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 Discovery Elementary School compares
Discovery 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 | 16.2:1 | ▼ 9% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.1% | ▲ 23% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 679 | top 41% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
679
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
64.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% 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
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 47% in Florida - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.4%
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
$10,368
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 679 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 30 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.4 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 36.2%
African American 30.6%
Hispanic or Latino 24.0%
Two or More 8.2%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 36.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 71.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.1, Discovery 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 Brevard, which includes Discovery Elementary School.
$10,368
Per student
-7%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.1%
State 37.1%
Federal 17.8%
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 Discovery Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viera High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Melbourne Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bayside High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Heritage High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Odyssey Charter School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Discovery Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,334
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 2,210
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 2,122
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,960
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,917
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- 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 (~679 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Discovery Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Discovery Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Brevard'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 Discovery Elementary School
How many students attend Discovery Elementary School?
Discovery Elementary School has 679 students enrolled. It is a public school in Palm Bay, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Discovery Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Discovery Elementary School is 16.2:1, which is 9% 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 Discovery Elementary School?
64.1% of students at Discovery Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Discovery Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Discovery Elementary School is White at 36.2% of enrollment, in Palm Bay, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Discovery Elementary School?
Discovery Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Discovery Elementary School rank among schools in Palm Bay?
By Resource Investment Index, Discovery Elementary School ranks #4 of 13 schools in Palm Bay, 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 Bay on the city page.
Is Discovery Elementary School a good school?
Discovery Elementary School earns 37/100 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 Brevard?
Besides Discovery Elementary School, Brevard also operates Viera High School (2,334 students), Melbourne Senior High School (2,210 students), and Bayside High School (2,122 students). See the Brevard 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.