Enrollment
97
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bartow, FL
Gause Academy of Leadership
Federal NCES profile for Gause Academy of Leadership, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120159001781
👥 S:T ratio 77
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gause Academy of Leadership earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Florida schools.
- #1 of 9
- schools in Bartow · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 5.7:1
- small classes for Florida
- 79.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Gause Academy of Leadership has class sizes smaller than 97% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gause Academy of Leadership ranks #1 of 9 schools in Bartow, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5.7:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-68% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
79.2%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gause Academy of Leadership compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gause Academy of Leadership
Gause Academy of Leadership is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Bartow, Florida, enrolling 97 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 5.7:1, Gause Academy of Leadership is leaner than roughly 97% of Florida schools and 68% under the state's 17.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 79.2% of students qualify for free meals, 52% above the Florida average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 97 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 3,996 Florida schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 74 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #37.
Its student body is led by White (37%) and African American (32%) (diversity index 68/100).
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 133 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 97 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Polk also operates Haines City Senior High School (3,105 students) and Davenport High School (2,731 students) alongside Gause Academy of Leadership.
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 Gause Academy of Leadership compares
Gause Academy of Leadership on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 5.7:1 | ▼ 68% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 79.2% | ▲ 52% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 97 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
5.7:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
97
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
79.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
5.7:1
students per teacher
- 68% below state mean
Top 3% in Florida - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$11,454
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
42
in-school suspensions + 91 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 43.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 137.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
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 37.1%
African American 32.0%
Hispanic or Latino 27.8%
Two or More 3.1%
Largest group: White at 37.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.2, Gause Academy of Leadership is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk, which includes Gause Academy of Leadership.
$11,454
Per student
+3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Gause Academy of Leadership Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haines City Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Davenport High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Winter Haven Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ridge Community High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| George W. Jenkins Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gause Academy of Leadership's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,105
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,731
- Students per teacher
- 32.1:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 2,648
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 2,632
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,469
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
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 (~97 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gause Academy of Leadership's federal record.
- Compare Gause Academy of Leadership against another school. Compare schools
- Polk'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 Gause Academy of Leadership
How many students attend Gause Academy of Leadership?
Gause Academy of Leadership has 97 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Bartow, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gause Academy of Leadership?
The student-teacher ratio at Gause Academy of Leadership is 5.7:1, which is 68% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 64% lower 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 Gause Academy of Leadership?
79.2% of students at Gause Academy of Leadership are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gause Academy of Leadership?
The largest demographic group at Gause Academy of Leadership is White at 37.1% of enrollment, in Bartow, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gause Academy of Leadership?
Gause Academy of Leadership has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Gause Academy of Leadership rank among schools in Bartow?
By Resource Investment Index, Gause Academy of Leadership ranks #1 of 9 schools in Bartow, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Bartow on the city page.
Is Gause Academy of Leadership a good school?
Gause Academy of Leadership earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Florida schools. 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 Polk?
Besides Gause Academy of Leadership, Polk also operates Haines City Senior High School (3,105 students), Davenport High School (2,731 students), and Winter Haven Senior High School (2,648 students). See the Polk 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.