Enrollment
328
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Gainesville, FL
Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School
Federal NCES profile for Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120003000027
👥 S:T ratio 6
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Florida schools.
- #10 of 22
- schools in Gainesville · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.4:1
- large classes for Florida
- 43.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School has class sizes larger than 89% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School ranks #10 of 22 schools in Gainesville, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.4:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.2%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School
Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Gainesville, Florida, enrolling 328 students.
Class loads run heavy: 23.4:1 is larger than about 89% of Florida schools and 31% above the 17.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 43.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 328 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 213 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #114.
Its student body is led by White (49%) and African American (23%) (diversity index 67/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 328 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Alachua also operates F. W. Buchholz High School (2,416 students) and Gainesville High School (1,825 students) alongside Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High 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 Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School compares
Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High 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 | 23.4:1 | ▲ 31% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.2% | ▼ 17% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 328 | top 76% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.4:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
328
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% below 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
- 31% above state mean
Top 89% in Florida - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
20.4%
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
$10,805
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 328 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 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 49.1%
African American 22.9%
Hispanic or Latino 18.6%
Two or More 7.0%
Asian 2.4%
Largest group: White at 49.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.6, Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alachua, which includes Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School.
$10,805
Per student
-3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.3%
State 36.3%
Federal 19.4%
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 Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| F. W. Buchholz High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gainesville High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eastside High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Santa Fe High School | Larger | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Kanapaha Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,416
- Students per teacher
- 30.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,825
- Students per teacher
- 29:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,291
- Students per teacher
- 30.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,132
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,014
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
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 (~328 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School's federal record.
- Compare Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School against another school. Compare schools
- Alachua'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 Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School
How many students attend Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School?
Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School has 328 students enrolled. It is a public school in Gainesville, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School is 23.4:1, which is 31% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 49% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School?
43.2% of students at Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School?
The largest demographic group at Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School is White at 49.1% of enrollment, in Gainesville, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School?
Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School rank among schools in Gainesville?
By Resource Investment Index, Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School ranks #10 of 22 schools in Gainesville, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Gainesville on the city page.
Is Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School a good school?
Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% 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 Alachua?
Besides Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School, Alachua also operates F. W. Buchholz High School (2,416 students), Gainesville High School (1,825 students), and Eastside High School (1,291 students). See the Alachua 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.