Enrollment
1,141
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 120150002234 Charter school
South Tech Academy — Boynton Beach, FL
Federal NCES profile for South Tech Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 18/100.
👥 Class size 14
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 11
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
District: Palm Beach · Florida
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)
55.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.5:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.1%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Tech 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
South Tech Academy reports 1,141 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 55.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% above the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 35% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 66.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 27% above the Florida average and 28% above the national baseline. The school offers 2 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 380 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 35.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Palm Beach spends $14,596 per pupil district-wide, above the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 63.0% from local sources (property taxes), 21.7% from the state, and 15.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 South Tech 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 | 21.5:1 | ▲ 17% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.1% | ▲ 27% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,141 | top 86% | — | — |
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
66.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 27% 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
21.5:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 84% in Florida — lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
35.7%
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
$14,596
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 380 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 42 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,141 Top 86% in Florida — larger than 14% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 55.0
Students per teacher 21.5:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 66.1% +27% vs state
NCES ID 120150002234
Student demographics
African American 42.8%
Hispanic or Latino 42.2%
White 11.3%
Two or More 1.8%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 42.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 2
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 380:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 35.7%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 42
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palm Beach, which includes South Tech Academy.
$14,596
Per student
+14%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 63.0%
State 21.7%
Federal 15.3%
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
- 3,262
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Enrollment
- 3,122
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,881
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,819
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,809
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
Similar high schools in Boynton Beach
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 South Tech Academy
How many students attend South Tech Academy?
South Tech Academy has 1,141 students enrolled. It is a high school in BOYNTON BEACH, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Tech Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at South Tech Academy is 21.5:1, which is 17% higher than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 35% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Tech Academy?
66.1% of students at South Tech Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Tech Academy?
The largest demographic group at South Tech Academy is African American at 42.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in BOYNTON BEACH, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Tech Academy?
South Tech Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.