Enrollment
977
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Fort Walton Beach, FL
Liza Jackson Preparatory School
Federal NCES profile for Liza Jackson Preparatory School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 120138003735Charter school
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Liza Jackson Preparatory School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data.
- #3 of 14
- public schools in Fort Walton Beach · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 977
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Liza Jackson Preparatory School ranks #3 of 14 public schools in Fort Walton Beach, FL.
School address
NCES ID 120138003735 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
16.7%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-68% vs state
What stands out at Liza Jackson Preparatory School
Liza Jackson Preparatory School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, enrolling 977 students.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 16.7% free-meal eligibility runs 68% below the Florida average.
Enrollment of 977 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 338 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #58.
Its student body is led by White (68%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 51/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 977 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 19.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Okaloosa also operates Crestview High School (2,376 students) and Niceville Senior High School (2,036 students) alongside Liza Jackson Preparatory 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 Liza Jackson Preparatory School compares
Liza Jackson Preparatory School on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.7% | ▼ 68% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 977 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
977
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
16.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 68% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Engagement
10.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$10,590
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 977 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.1 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 68.0%
Hispanic or Latino 12.8%
Two or More 7.9%
African American 7.5%
Asian 3.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 68.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.8, Liza Jackson Preparatory School is about as mixed as the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Okaloosa, which includes Liza Jackson Preparatory School.
$10,590
Per student
-5%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.0%
State 37.4%
Federal 19.6%
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.
How Liza Jackson Preparatory School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crestview High School | Larger | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
| Niceville Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Choctawhatchee Senior High School | Larger | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
| Fort Walton Beach High School | Larger | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
| Baker School | Larger | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Liza Jackson Preparatory School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,376
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 2,036
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,720
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,550
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,434
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar elementary 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.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Liza Jackson Preparatory School's federal record.
- Compare Liza Jackson Preparatory School against another school. Compare schools
- Okaloosa'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 Liza Jackson Preparatory School
How many students attend Liza Jackson Preparatory School?
Liza Jackson Preparatory School has 977 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Fort Walton Beach, FL.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Liza Jackson Preparatory School?
16.7% of students at Liza Jackson Preparatory School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Liza Jackson Preparatory School?
The largest demographic group at Liza Jackson Preparatory School is White at 68.0% of enrollment, in Fort Walton Beach, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Liza Jackson Preparatory School?
Liza Jackson Preparatory School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Liza Jackson Preparatory School rank among public schools in Fort Walton Beach?
By Resource Investment Index, Liza Jackson Preparatory School ranks #3 of 14 public schools in Fort Walton Beach, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Fort Walton Beach on the city page.
Is Liza Jackson Preparatory School a good school?
Liza Jackson Preparatory School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. 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 Okaloosa?
Besides Liza Jackson Preparatory School, Okaloosa also operates Crestview High School (2,376 students), Niceville Senior High School (2,036 students), and Choctawhatchee Senior High School (1,720 students). See the Okaloosa 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.