Enrollment
27
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Zolfo Springs, FL
Pioneer Career Academy
Federal NCES profile for Pioneer Career Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120075002245
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pioneer Career Academy earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of Florida schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Florida.
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 27:1
- large classes for Florida
- 93.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 27
- students enrolled
Pioneer Career Academy has class sizes larger than 95% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+52% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.1%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+79% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pioneer Career Academy compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pioneer Career Academy
Pioneer Career Academy is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Zolfo Springs, Florida, enrolling 27 students.
Class loads run heavy: 27:1 is larger than about 95% of Florida schools and 52% above the 17.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 93.1% of students qualify for free meals, 79% above the Florida average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 95% of Florida schools, with 27 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 3,996 Florida schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 21 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #19, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (70%) and White (19%) (diversity index 46/100).
Its district draws 25.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Hardee also operates Hardee Senior High School (1,347 students) and Hardee Junior High School (958 students) alongside Pioneer Career 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 Pioneer Career Academy compares
Pioneer Career 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 | 27:1 | ▲ 52% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.1% | ▲ 79% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 27 | top 95% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
27:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
27
Bigger than 3% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
93.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 79% 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
27:1
students per teacher
- 52% above state mean
Top 95% in Florida - lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$10,936
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 + 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
- 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
Hispanic or Latino 70.4%
White 18.5%
African American 7.4%
Two or More 3.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 70.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.3, Pioneer Career Academy is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hardee, which includes Pioneer Career Academy.
$10,936
Per student
-2%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.6%
State 50.7%
Federal 25.8%
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.
How Pioneer Career Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardee Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hardee Junior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wauchula Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| North Wauchula Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Zolfo Springs Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pioneer Career Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,347
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 958
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 577
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 516
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 512
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
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 (~27 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pioneer Career Academy's federal record.
- Compare Pioneer Career Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Hardee'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 Pioneer Career Academy
How many students attend Pioneer Career Academy?
Pioneer Career Academy has 27 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Zolfo Springs, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Career Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Career Academy is 27:1, which is 52% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 72% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pioneer Career Academy?
93.1% of students at Pioneer Career Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pioneer Career Academy?
The largest demographic group at Pioneer Career Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 70.4% of enrollment, in Zolfo Springs, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pioneer Career Academy?
Pioneer Career Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
Is Pioneer Career Academy a good school?
Pioneer Career Academy earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of Florida schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Florida. 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 Hardee?
Besides Pioneer Career Academy, Hardee also operates Hardee Senior High School (1,347 students), Hardee Junior High School (958 students), and Wauchula Elementary School (577 students). See the Hardee 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.