Enrollment
321
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Panama City, FL
Palm Bay Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Palm Bay Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 120009008597Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 14
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palm Bay Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Florida schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Florida schools.
- #1 of 5
- elementary schools in Panama City · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.4:1
- large classes for Florida
- 59.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Palm Bay Elementary School has class sizes larger than 83% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Palm Bay Elementary School ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Panama City, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.4:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.8%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palm Bay Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Palm Bay Elementary School
Palm Bay Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized charter elementary school in Panama City, Florida, enrolling 321 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 21.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 59.8% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 321 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 338 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #91.
Its student body is led by White (33%) and African American (28%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Bay also operates A. Crawford Mosley High School (1,864 students) and Deane Bozeman School (1,690 students) alongside Palm Bay 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 Palm Bay Elementary School compares
Palm Bay 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 | 21.4:1 | ▲ 20% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.8% | ▲ 15% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 321 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.4:1
Leaner classes than 12% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
321
Bigger than 35% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% 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
21.4:1
students per teacher
- 20% above state mean
Top 83% in Florida - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
20.6%
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
$10,446
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.5 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 33.0%
African American 27.7%
Hispanic or Latino 27.4%
Two or More 9.0%
Asian 2.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 33.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 73.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 73.1, Palm Bay 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 Bay, which includes Palm Bay Elementary School.
$10,446
Per student
-6%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.0%
State 33.0%
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.
How Palm Bay Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Crawford Mosley High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Deane Bozeman School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| J.R. Arnold High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rutherford High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bay High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Palm Bay Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,864
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 1,690
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,629
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 1,394
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 1,289
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 11/100
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.
Similar enrollment (~321 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palm Bay Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Palm Bay Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Bay'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 Palm Bay Elementary School
How many students attend Palm Bay Elementary School?
Palm Bay Elementary School has 321 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Panama City, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palm Bay Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Palm Bay Elementary School is 21.4:1, which is 20% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 36% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Palm Bay Elementary School?
59.8% of students at Palm Bay Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palm Bay Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Palm Bay Elementary School is White at 33.0% of enrollment, in Panama City, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palm Bay Elementary School?
Palm Bay Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Palm Bay Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Panama City?
By Resource Investment Index, Palm Bay Elementary School ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Panama City, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Panama City on the city page.
Is Palm Bay Elementary School a good school?
Palm Bay Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% 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 Bay?
Besides Palm Bay Elementary School, Bay also operates A. Crawford Mosley High School (1,864 students), Deane Bozeman School (1,690 students), and J.R. Arnold High School (1,629 students). See the Bay 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.