Enrollment
311
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120009008094 Charter school
Rising Leaders Academy — Panama City, FL
Federal NCES profile for Rising Leaders Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 44
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
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)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.7:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
-9% 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
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
Rising Leaders Academy reports 311 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% 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 5% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 30.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% below the Florida average and 40% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bay spends $13,335 per pupil district-wide, above the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 46.0% from local sources (property taxes), 33.0% from the state, and 21.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), 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 Rising Leaders Academy 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 | 16.7:1 | ▼ 9% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.9% | ▼ 41% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 311 | top 22% | — | — |
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
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
16.7:1
students per teacher
— 9% below state mean
Top 49% in Florida — lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.5%
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
$13,335
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 + 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
Enrollment 311 Top 22% in Florida — larger than 78% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 16.7:1 -9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 30.9% -41% vs state
NCES ID 120009008094
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.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bay, which includes Rising Leaders Academy.
$13,335
Per student
+5%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,864
- Students per teacher
- 25:1
- Enrollment
- 1,690
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,629
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,394
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,289
- Students per teacher
- 25.6:1
Similar other schools in Panama City
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Deane Bozeman School
Standard public school
1,690 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Rutherford High School
Standard public school
1,394 students 20.6:1 students per teacher
Deer Point Elementary School
Standard public school
735 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Hiland Park Elementary School
Standard public school
684 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Tommy Smith Elementary School
Standard public school
677 students 19.4:1 students per teacher
Callaway Elementary School
Standard public school
622 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
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 Rising Leaders Academy
How many students attend Rising Leaders Academy?
Rising Leaders Academy has 311 students enrolled. It is a other school in PANAMA CITY, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rising Leaders Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Rising Leaders Academy is 16.7:1, which is 9% lower than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 5% higher 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 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in PANAMA CITY, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rising Leaders Academy?
Rising Leaders Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.