Enrollment
56
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 120177002903
St. Lucie Detention Center — Fort Pierce, FL
Federal NCES profile for St. Lucie Detention Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 58/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 89
📋 Attendance 64
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)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
-29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.8%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How St. Lucie Detention Center 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
St. Lucie Detention Center reports 56 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 3.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 29% 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 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 30.8% 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 41% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 56 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding St. Lucie spends $11,649 per pupil district-wide, below the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 46.9% from local sources (property taxes), 35.5% from the state, and 17.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (C), calculated from 4 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 St. Lucie Detention Center 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 29% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.8% | ▼ 41% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 56 | top 8% | — | — |
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
30.8%
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
13:1
students per teacher
— 29% below state mean
Top 11% in Florida — lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
14.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$11,649
per pupil, district-wide
— below Florida avg of $12,756
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 56 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 56 Top 8% in Florida — larger than 92% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 3.0
Students per teacher 13:1 -29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 30.8% -41% vs state
NCES ID 120177002903
Student demographics
African American 46.4%
White 37.5%
Hispanic or Latino 14.3%
Two or More 1.8%
Largest group: African American at 46.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 56:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Lucie, which includes St. Lucie Detention Center.
$11,649
Per student
-9%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 46.9%
State 35.5%
Federal 17.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,178
- Students per teacher
- 26.6:1
- Enrollment
- 3,124
- Students per teacher
- 27.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,914
- Students per teacher
- 24.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,956
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,793
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
Similar other schools in Fort Pierce
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Fort Pierce Central High School
Standard public school
3,178 students 26.6:1 students per teacher
Lincoln Park Academy
Standard public school
1,667 students 22.5:1 students per teacher
Samuel S. Gaines Academy of Emerging Technologies
Standard public school
786 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Lawnwood Elementary School
Standard public school
765 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Weatherbee Elementary School
Standard public school
726 students 16:1 students per teacher
St. Lucie Elementary School
Standard public school
722 students 16.2:1 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 St. Lucie Detention Center
How many students attend St. Lucie Detention Center?
St. Lucie Detention Center has 56 students enrolled. It is a other school in FORT PIERCE, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at St. Lucie Detention Center?
The student-teacher ratio at St. Lucie Detention Center is 13:1, which is 29% lower than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 18% lower 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 St. Lucie Detention Center?
30.8% of students at St. Lucie Detention Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of St. Lucie Detention Center?
The largest demographic group at St. Lucie Detention Center is African American at 46.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in FORT PIERCE, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for St. Lucie Detention Center?
St. Lucie Detention Center has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (C) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.