Enrollment
93
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fort Walton Beach, FL
Silver Sands-Excep. Children
Federal NCES profile for Silver Sands-Excep. Children, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120138001336
👥 S:T ratio 80
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 81
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Silver Sands-Excep. Children earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of Florida schools.
- #3 of 9
- schools in Fort Walton Beach · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 4.9:1
- small classes for Florida
- 61.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Silver Sands-Excep. Children has class sizes smaller than 98% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Silver Sands-Excep. Children ranks #3 of 9 schools in Fort Walton Beach, FL.
School address
NCES ID 120138001336 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
4.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-72% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.4%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Silver Sands-Excep. Children compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Silver Sands-Excep. Children
Silver Sands-Excep. Children is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, enrolling 93 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 4.9:1, Silver Sands-Excep. Children is leaner than roughly 98% of Florida schools and 72% under the state's 17.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 61.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 93 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 75 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #35.
Its student body is led by White (47%) and African American (20%) (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 93 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 50.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Okaloosa also operates Crestview High School (2,376 students) and Niceville Senior High School (2,036 students) alongside Silver Sands-Excep. Children.
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 Silver Sands-Excep. Children compares
Silver Sands-Excep. Children on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 4.9:1 | ▼ 72% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.4% | ▲ 18% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 93 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
4.9:1
Leaner classes than 99% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
93
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
61.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
4.9:1
students per teacher
- 72% below state mean
Top 2% in Florida - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
50.5%
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
$10,590
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 93 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 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 47.3%
African American 20.4%
Hispanic or Latino 19.4%
Two or More 8.6%
Asian 3.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.1%
Largest group: White at 47.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.8, Silver Sands-Excep. Children is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Okaloosa, which includes Silver Sands-Excep. Children.
$10,590
Per student
-5%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.0%
State 37.4%
Federal 19.6%
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 Silver Sands-Excep. Children Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crestview High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Niceville Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Choctawhatchee Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fort Walton Beach High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Baker School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Silver Sands-Excep. Children's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,376
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 2,036
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,720
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,550
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,434
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
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 (~93 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~4.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Silver Sands-Excep. Children's federal record.
- Compare Silver Sands-Excep. Children against another school. Compare schools
- Okaloosa'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 Silver Sands-Excep. Children
How many students attend Silver Sands-Excep. Children?
Silver Sands-Excep. Children has 93 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Fort Walton Beach, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Silver Sands-Excep. Children?
The student-teacher ratio at Silver Sands-Excep. Children is 4.9:1, which is 72% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 69% 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 Silver Sands-Excep. Children?
61.4% of students at Silver Sands-Excep. Children are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Silver Sands-Excep. Children?
The largest demographic group at Silver Sands-Excep. Children is White at 47.3% of enrollment, in Fort Walton Beach, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Silver Sands-Excep. Children?
Silver Sands-Excep. Children has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Silver Sands-Excep. Children rank among schools in Fort Walton Beach?
By Resource Investment Index, Silver Sands-Excep. Children ranks #3 of 9 schools in Fort Walton Beach, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Fort Walton Beach on the city page.
Is Silver Sands-Excep. Children a good school?
Silver Sands-Excep. Children earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% 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 Okaloosa?
Besides Silver Sands-Excep. Children, Okaloosa also operates Crestview High School (2,376 students), Niceville Senior High School (2,036 students), and Choctawhatchee Senior High School (1,720 students). See the Okaloosa 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.