Enrollment
438
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mary Esther, FL
Mary Esther Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Mary Esther Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120138001345
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mary Esther Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of Florida schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Florida schools.
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.6:1
- small classes for Florida
- 63.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 438
- students enrolled
Mary Esther Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 71% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.7%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mary Esther Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mary Esther Elementary School
Mary Esther Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Mary Esther, Florida, enrolling 438 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 63.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 438 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 724 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #141.
Its student body is led by White (38%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 72/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 438 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Okaloosa also operates Crestview High School (2,376 students) and Niceville Senior High School (2,036 students) alongside Mary Esther 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 Mary Esther Elementary School compares
Mary Esther 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 | 14.6:1 | ▼ 18% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.7% | ▲ 23% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 438 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.6:1
Leaner classes than 51% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
438
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
63.7%
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
14.6:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 29% in Florida - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.4%
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
$10,590
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 438 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
38
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 37.7%
Hispanic or Latino 27.4%
African American 20.3%
Two or More 13.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 37.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 72.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 72.3, Mary Esther 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 Okaloosa, which includes Mary Esther Elementary 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 Mary Esther Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crestview High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Niceville Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Choctawhatchee Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fort Walton Beach High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Baker School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mary Esther Elementary 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 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 (~438 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mary Esther Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Mary Esther Elementary 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 Mary Esther Elementary School
How many students attend Mary Esther Elementary School?
Mary Esther Elementary School has 438 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mary Esther, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mary Esther Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mary Esther Elementary School is 14.6:1, which is 18% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 7% 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 Mary Esther Elementary School?
63.7% of students at Mary Esther Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mary Esther Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Mary Esther Elementary School is White at 37.7% of enrollment, in Mary Esther, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mary Esther Elementary School?
Mary Esther Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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).
Is Mary Esther Elementary School a good school?
Mary Esther Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of Florida schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Okaloosa?
Besides Mary Esther Elementary 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.