Enrollment
311
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Panama City, FL
Rising Leaders Academy
Federal NCES profile for Rising Leaders Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120009008094Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rising Leaders Academy earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #5 of 22
- schools in Panama City · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.3:1
- students per teacher
- 30.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Rising Leaders Academy has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rising Leaders Academy ranks #5 of 22 schools in Panama City, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.9%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rising Leaders Academy compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rising Leaders Academy
Rising Leaders Academy is a mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Panama City, Florida, enrolling 311 students.
At 17.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Florida median, within a few percentage points of the 17.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 30.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 311 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 120 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #49.
Its student body is led by White (52%) and African American (16%) (diversity index 67/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Bay also operates A. Crawford Mosley High School (1,864 students) and Deane Bozeman School (1,690 students) alongside Rising Leaders 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 Rising Leaders Academy compares
Rising Leaders 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 | 17.3:1 | ▼ 3% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.9% | ▼ 41% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 311 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.3:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
311
Bigger than 34% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
30.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% 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
17.3:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 58% in Florida - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.5%
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
$10,446
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 + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 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 52.1%
African American 16.1%
Hispanic or Latino 16.1%
Two or More 9.3%
Asian 5.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 52.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.5, Rising Leaders Academy is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bay, which includes Rising Leaders Academy.
$10,446
Per student
-6%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.0%
State 33.0%
Federal 21.0%
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 Rising Leaders Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Crawford Mosley High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Deane Bozeman School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| J.R. Arnold High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rutherford High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bay High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rising Leaders Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,864
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 1,690
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,629
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 1,394
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 1,289
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 11/100
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 (~311 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rising Leaders Academy's federal record.
- Compare Rising Leaders Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Bay'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 Rising Leaders Academy
How many students attend Rising Leaders Academy?
Rising Leaders Academy has 311 students enrolled. It is a public school in Panama City, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rising Leaders Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Rising Leaders Academy is 17.3:1, which is 3% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 10% higher 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 Rising Leaders Academy?
30.9% of students at Rising Leaders Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rising Leaders Academy?
The largest demographic group at Rising Leaders Academy is White at 52.1% of enrollment, in Panama City, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rising Leaders Academy?
Rising Leaders Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Rising Leaders Academy rank among schools in Panama City?
By Resource Investment Index, Rising Leaders Academy ranks #5 of 22 schools in Panama 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 Panama City on the city page.
Is Rising Leaders Academy a good school?
Rising Leaders Academy earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median. 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 Bay?
Besides Rising Leaders Academy, Bay also operates A. Crawford Mosley High School (1,864 students), Deane Bozeman School (1,690 students), and J.R. Arnold High School (1,629 students). See the Bay 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.