Enrollment
370
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 120015003297 Charter school
Palm Bay Academy Charter School — Palm Bay, FL
Federal NCES profile for Palm Bay Academy Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 19
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 36
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)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.2:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+92% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palm Bay Academy Charter School 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
Palm Bay Academy Charter School reports 370 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% above the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 27% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 92% above the Florida average and 93% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Brevard spends $11,592 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 45.1% from local sources (property taxes), 37.1% from the state, and 17.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Palm Bay Academy Charter School 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 | 20.2:1 | ▲ 10% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 92% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 370 | top 26% | — | — |
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
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 92% 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
20.2:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 78% in Florida — lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
25.7%
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
$11,592
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
8
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 370 Top 26% in Florida — larger than 74% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 20.2:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +92% vs state
NCES ID 120015003297
Student demographics
African American 45.7%
Hispanic or Latino 23.5%
White 21.4%
Two or More 7.0%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 45.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.7%
In-school suspensions 8
Out-of-school suspensions 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Brevard, which includes Palm Bay Academy Charter School.
$11,592
Per student
-9%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 45.1%
State 37.1%
Federal 17.8%
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
- 2,334
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,210
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,122
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,960
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,917
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
Similar elementary schools in Palm Bay
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) 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 Palm Bay Academy Charter School
How many students attend Palm Bay Academy Charter School?
Palm Bay Academy Charter School has 370 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in PALM BAY, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palm Bay Academy Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Palm Bay Academy Charter School is 20.2:1, which is 10% higher than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 27% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Palm Bay Academy Charter School?
100.0% of students at Palm Bay Academy Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palm Bay Academy Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Palm Bay Academy Charter School is African American at 45.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in PALM BAY, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palm Bay Academy Charter School?
Palm Bay Academy Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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.