Enrollment
2,809
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 120150002627
Palm Beach Lakes High School — West Palm Beach, FL
Federal NCES profile for Palm Beach Lakes High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 20/100.
👥 Class size 6
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 22
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
District: Palm Beach · Florida
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)
115.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.4:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
+28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.6%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palm Beach Lakes High 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 Beach Lakes High School reports 2,809 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 115.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% 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 47% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 69.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 34% above the Florida average and 34% above the national baseline. The school offers 2 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 351 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Palm Beach spends $14,596 per pupil district-wide, above the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 63.0% from local sources (property taxes), 21.7% from the state, and 15.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Beach Lakes High 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 | 23.4:1 | ▲ 28% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.6% | ▲ 34% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,809 | top 99% | — | — |
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
69.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 34% 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
23.4:1
students per teacher
— 28% above state mean
Top 90% in Florida — lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
31.3%
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
$14,596
per pupil, district-wide
— above Florida avg of $12,756
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors8.0 FTE
Per 351 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
378
in-school suspensions + 454 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 29.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 66 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 2,809 Top 99% in Florida — larger than 1% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 115.0
Students per teacher 23.4:1 +28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 69.6% +34% vs state
NCES ID 120150002627
Student demographics
African American 58.6%
Hispanic or Latino 34.7%
White 4.1%
Two or More 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 58.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 2
Counselors (FTE) 8.0
Students per counselor 351:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.3%
In-school suspensions 378
Out-of-school suspensions 454
Expulsions 66
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palm Beach, which includes Palm Beach Lakes High School.
$14,596
Per student
+14%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 63.0%
State 21.7%
Federal 15.3%
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
- 3,262
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Enrollment
- 3,122
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,881
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,819
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,760
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
Similar high schools in West Palm Beach
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Forest Hill Community High School
Standard public school
1,923 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Alexander W Dreyfoos Junior School of the Arts
Standard public school
1,352 students 19.4:1 students per teacher
G-Star School of the Arts
Standard public school
710 students 23.6:1 students per teacher
Worthington High School
Alternative education program
485 students 100:1 students per teacher
Slam Academy High School Palm Beach
Standard public school
309 students 26.6:1 students per teacher
Florida Futures Academy
Alternative education program
129 students 46.7:1 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 Palm Beach Lakes High School
How many students attend Palm Beach Lakes High School?
Palm Beach Lakes High School has 2,809 students enrolled. It is a high school in WEST PALM BEACH, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palm Beach Lakes High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Palm Beach Lakes High School is 23.4:1, which is 28% higher than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 47% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Palm Beach Lakes High School?
69.6% of students at Palm Beach Lakes High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palm Beach Lakes High School?
The largest demographic group at Palm Beach Lakes High School is African American at 58.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in WEST PALM BEACH, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palm Beach Lakes High School?
Palm Beach Lakes High School has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.