Enrollment
758
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120159001773
Mclaughlin Academy of Excellence — Lake Wales, FL
Federal NCES profile for Mclaughlin Academy of Excellence, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 21
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)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.1%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mclaughlin Academy of Excellence 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
Mclaughlin Academy of Excellence reports 758 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% 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% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 68.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 31% above the Florida average and 31% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Polk spends $12,580 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.2% from local sources (property taxes), 43.8% from the state, and 21.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Mclaughlin Academy of Excellence 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 | 15.5:1 | ▼ 15% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.1% | ▲ 31% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 758 | top 66% | — | — |
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
68.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 31% 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
15.5:1
students per teacher
— 15% below state mean
Top 34% in Florida — lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,580
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
35
in-school suspensions + 144 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 758 Top 66% in Florida — larger than 34% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 15.5:1 -15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 68.1% +31% vs state
NCES ID 120159001773
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 43.7%
African American 28.4%
White 25.7%
Two or More 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Asian 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 43.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.7%
In-school suspensions 35
Out-of-school suspensions 144
Expulsions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk, which includes Mclaughlin Academy of Excellence.
$12,580
Per student
-1%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,105
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,731
- Students per teacher
- 27.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,648
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,632
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,469
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
Similar other schools in Lake Wales
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Hillcrest Elementary School
Standard public school
667 students 15:1 students per teacher
Spook Hill Elementary School
Standard public school
574 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Polk Avenue Elementary School
Standard public school
523 students 19:1 students per teacher
Janie Howard Wilson School
Standard public school
462 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Victory Ridge Academy
Special-education school
321 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Roosevelt Academy
Alternative education program
279 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
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 Mclaughlin Academy of Excellence
How many students attend Mclaughlin Academy of Excellence?
Mclaughlin Academy of Excellence has 758 students enrolled. It is a other school in LAKE WALES, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mclaughlin Academy of Excellence?
The student-teacher ratio at Mclaughlin Academy of Excellence is 15.5:1, which is 15% lower than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 3% lower 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 Mclaughlin Academy of Excellence?
68.1% of students at Mclaughlin Academy of Excellence are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mclaughlin Academy of Excellence?
The largest demographic group at Mclaughlin Academy of Excellence is Hispanic or Latino at 43.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in LAKE WALES, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mclaughlin Academy of Excellence?
Mclaughlin Academy of Excellence has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.