Enrollment
217
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 120081004084 Charter school
Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology — Spring Hill, FL
Federal NCES profile for Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 81
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)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.5%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology 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
Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology reports 217 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 13.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 32.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 38% below the Florida average and 37% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 217 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 7.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hernando spends $10,990 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 39.9% from local sources (property taxes), 44.9% from the state, and 15.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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 Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology 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 | 16.3:1 | ▼ 11% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.5% | ▼ 38% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 217 | 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
32.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 38% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 44% in Florida — lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
7.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$10,990
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 217 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 217 Top 17% in Florida — larger than 83% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 13.0
Students per teacher 16.3:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.5% -38% vs state
NCES ID 120081004084
Student demographics
White 63.6%
Hispanic or Latino 22.6%
Two or More 6.0%
African American 4.1%
Asian 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%
Largest group: White at 63.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 217:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 7.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hernando, which includes Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology.
$10,990
Per student
-14%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-44%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 39.9%
State 44.9%
Federal 15.1%
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
- 1,853
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,613
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,544
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,456
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,444
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
Similar middle schools in Spring Hill
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology
How many students attend Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology?
Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology has 217 students enrolled. It is a middle school in SPRING HILL, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology?
The student-teacher ratio at Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology is 16.3:1, which is 11% lower than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 3% higher 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 Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology?
32.5% of students at Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology?
The largest demographic group at Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology is White at 63.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in SPRING HILL, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology?
Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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.