Enrollment
381
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120150004127 Charter school
Palm Beach School for Autism — Lake Worth Fl, FL
Federal NCES profile for Palm Beach School for Autism, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
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)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.5:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
-43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.7%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palm Beach School for Autism 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 School for Autism reports 381 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 43% 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 34% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 37.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 27% below the Florida average and 27% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 48.6% 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 29/100 (F), 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 Beach School for Autism 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 | 10.5:1 | ▼ 43% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.7% | ▼ 27% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 381 | top 27% | — | — |
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
37.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 27% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.5:1
students per teacher
— 43% below state mean
Top 6% in Florida — lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
48.6%
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 381 Top 27% in Florida — larger than 73% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 10.5:1 -43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 37.7% -27% vs state
NCES ID 120150004127
Student demographics
White 38.6%
Hispanic or Latino 33.9%
African American 20.7%
Asian 3.7%
Two or More 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 38.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 48.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palm Beach, which includes Palm Beach School for Autism.
$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
- 2,809
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
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 School for Autism
How many students attend Palm Beach School for Autism?
Palm Beach School for Autism has 381 students enrolled. It is a other school in LAKE WORTH FL, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palm Beach School for Autism?
The student-teacher ratio at Palm Beach School for Autism is 10.5:1, which is 43% lower than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 34% 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 Palm Beach School for Autism?
37.7% of students at Palm Beach School for Autism are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palm Beach School for Autism?
The largest demographic group at Palm Beach School for Autism is White at 38.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in LAKE WORTH FL, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palm Beach School for Autism?
Palm Beach School for Autism has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F) 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.