Enrollment
1,201
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Hialeah, FL
Mater Academy Lakes High School
Federal NCES profile for Mater Academy Lakes High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 120039007077Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mater Academy Lakes High School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of Florida schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Florida schools.
- #5 of 7
- high schools in Hialeah · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 25:1
- large classes for Florida
- 57.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Mater Academy Lakes High School has class sizes larger than 92% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mater Academy Lakes High School ranks #5 of 7 high schools in Hialeah, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.3%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mater Academy Lakes High School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mater Academy Lakes High School
Mater Academy Lakes High School is a higher-need, large charter high school in Hialeah, Florida, enrolling 1,201 students.
Class loads run heavy: 25:1 is larger than about 92% of Florida schools and 40% above the 17.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.3% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 1,201 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 3,996 Florida schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 629 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #563, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 9/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 26 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1201 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Miami-Dade also operates John a. Ferguson Senior High (4,291 students) and Coral Reef Senior High School (3,399 students) alongside Mater Academy Lakes High 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 Mater Academy Lakes High School compares
Mater Academy Lakes High 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 | 25:1 | ▲ 40% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.3% | ▲ 10% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,201 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
25:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,201
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% 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
25:1
students per teacher
- 40% above state mean
Top 92% in Florida - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
31.1%
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
$12,258
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 1201 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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
Hispanic or Latino 95.4%
White 1.9%
African American 1.5%
Asian 1.1%
Two or More 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 95.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.9, Mater Academy Lakes High School is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 26
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Miami-Dade, which includes Mater Academy Lakes High School.
$12,258
Per student
+10%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 57.2%
State 23.3%
Federal 19.5%
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 Mater Academy Lakes High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| John a. Ferguson Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Coral Reef Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Dade Senior High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Miami Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hialeah Gardens Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mater Academy Lakes High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,291
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,399
- Students per teacher
- 27:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 3,382
- Students per teacher
- 27.7:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,100
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,009
- Students per teacher
- 28.4:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
Similar high 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 (~1,201 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~25:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mater Academy Lakes High School's federal record.
- Compare Mater Academy Lakes High School against another school. Compare schools
- Miami-Dade'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 Mater Academy Lakes High School
How many students attend Mater Academy Lakes High School?
Mater Academy Lakes High School has 1,201 students enrolled. It is a high school in Hialeah, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mater Academy Lakes High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mater Academy Lakes High School is 25:1, which is 40% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 59% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mater Academy Lakes High School?
57.3% of students at Mater Academy Lakes High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mater Academy Lakes High School?
The largest demographic group at Mater Academy Lakes High School is Hispanic or Latino at 95.4% of enrollment, in Hialeah, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mater Academy Lakes High School?
Mater Academy Lakes High School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Mater Academy Lakes High School rank among high schools in Hialeah?
By Resource Investment Index, Mater Academy Lakes High School ranks #5 of 7 high schools in Hialeah, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Hialeah on the city page.
Is Mater Academy Lakes High School a good school?
Mater Academy Lakes High School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of Florida schools. It is also less 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 Miami-Dade?
Besides Mater Academy Lakes High School, Miami-Dade also operates John a. Ferguson Senior High (4,291 students), Coral Reef Senior High School (3,399 students), and South Dade Senior High School (3,382 students). See the Miami-Dade 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.