Enrollment
94
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lake City, FL
Pathways Academy
Federal NCES profile for Pathways Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120036000366
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pathways Academy earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 90% of Florida schools.
- #8 of 12
- schools in Lake City · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 11.8:1
- small classes for Florida
- 75.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Pathways Academy has class sizes smaller than 90% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pathways Academy ranks #8 of 12 schools in Lake City, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.9%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pathways Academy compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pathways Academy
Pathways Academy is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Lake City, Florida, enrolling 94 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.8:1, Pathways Academy is leaner than roughly 90% of Florida schools and 34% under the state's 17.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 75.9% of students qualify for free meals, 46% above the Florida average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 94 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Among 78 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #69, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (48%) and African American (37%) (diversity index 62/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 95.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 26.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 38 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 94 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Columbia also operates Columbia High School (1,711 students) and Fort White High School (1,101 students) alongside Pathways Academy.
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 Pathways Academy compares
Pathways Academy on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.8:1 | ▼ 34% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.9% | ▲ 46% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 94 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
94
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
75.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 46% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 34% below state mean
Top 10% in Florida - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
95.7%
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
$10,799
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
0
in-school suspensions + 38 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 40.4 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 47.9%
African American 37.2%
Two or More 8.5%
Hispanic or Latino 5.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.1%
Largest group: White at 47.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.2, Pathways Academy is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia, which includes Pathways Academy.
$10,799
Per student
-3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.7%
State 52.5%
Federal 26.9%
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 Pathways Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fort White High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Belmont Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lake City Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Westside Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pathways Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,711
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,101
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 828
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 809
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 695
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar other 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 (~94 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pathways Academy's federal record.
- Compare Pathways Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Columbia'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 Pathways Academy
How many students attend Pathways Academy?
Pathways Academy has 94 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Lake City, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pathways Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Pathways Academy is 11.8:1, which is 34% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pathways Academy?
75.9% of students at Pathways Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pathways Academy?
The largest demographic group at Pathways Academy is White at 47.9% of enrollment, in Lake City, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pathways Academy?
Pathways Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 Pathways Academy rank among schools in Lake City?
By Resource Investment Index, Pathways Academy ranks #8 of 12 schools in Lake City, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Lake City on the city page.
Is Pathways Academy a good school?
Pathways Academy earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 90% of 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 Columbia?
Besides Pathways Academy, Columbia also operates Columbia High School (1,711 students), Fort White High School (1,101 students), and Belmont Academy (828 students). See the Columbia 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.