Enrollment
755
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Panama City Beach, FL
Surfside Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Surfside Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 120009002665
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 4
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Surfside Middle School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #2 of 6
- public schools in Panama City Beach · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.6:1
- students per teacher
- 44.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Surfside Middle School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Surfside Middle School ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Panama City Beach, FL.
School address
NCES ID 120009002665 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.8%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Surfside Middle School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Surfside Middle School
Surfside Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Panama City Beach, Florida, enrolling 755 students.
At 17.6:1, 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 44.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 755 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 850 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #319.
Its student body is led by White (64%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 252 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data 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.
Discipline events run high: 195 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 755 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Bay also operates A. Crawford Mosley High School (1,864 students) and Deane Bozeman School (1,690 students) alongside Surfside Middle School.
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 Surfside Middle School compares
Surfside Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.6:1 | ▼ 1% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.8% | ▼ 14% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 755 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.6:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
755
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.6:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 60% in Florida - lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.3%
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 252 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
119
in-school suspensions + 76 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.8 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 63.7%
Hispanic or Latino 18.7%
African American 8.6%
Two or More 6.2%
Asian 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 63.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.8, Surfside Middle School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bay, which includes Surfside Middle School.
$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 Surfside Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Crawford Mosley High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Deane Bozeman School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| J.R. Arnold High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rutherford High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bay High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Surfside Middle School'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 middle 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 (~755 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Surfside Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Surfside Middle School 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 Surfside Middle School
How many students attend Surfside Middle School?
Surfside Middle School has 755 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Panama City Beach, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Surfside Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Surfside Middle School is 17.6:1, which is 1% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 12% 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 Surfside Middle School?
44.8% of students at Surfside Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Surfside Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Surfside Middle School is White at 63.7% of enrollment, in Panama City Beach, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Surfside Middle School?
Surfside Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Surfside Middle School rank among public schools in Panama City Beach?
By Resource Investment Index, Surfside Middle School ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Panama City Beach, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Panama City Beach on the city page.
Is Surfside Middle School a good school?
Surfside Middle School earns 38/100 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 Surfside Middle School, 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.