BIG PINE ACADEMY

BIG PINE ACADEMY is a tiny elementary-level community in BIG PINE KEY, Florida, part of MONROE. The school educates 89 students in grades pre-K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 85% leaner than the state mean of about 604.

Within MONROE, which oversees 22 schools and 8,928 students, BIG PINE ACADEMY is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, BIG PINE ACADEMY records that White students make up the majority at 67%. Other groups include 29% Hispanic, 2% multiracial. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 1 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 89.0:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.5:1, putting BIG PINE ACADEMY higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 15% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Monroe County (around 47%), the school's rate is south of typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, BIG PINE ACADEMY tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 73.9% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 75.1%.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Monroe County indicate median household earnings sit near $87,738, about 39% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. In all, Monroe County runs 25 public schools (combined enrollment of about 8,928 students), of which BIG PINE ACADEMY is one.

The closest other public school is SUGARLOAF SCHOOL, roughly 10.6 miles away. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), BIG PINE ACADEMY ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 56.5%.

BIG PINE ACADEMY operates from a town-center location. BIG PINE ACADEMY operates as a public charter school, meaning it is publicly funded but governed independently of the surrounding district's traditional schools.

Trend over the last 7 years. BIG PINE ACADEMY's enrollment has ticked up 14% since 2018, when it stood at 78 (now 89). The Hispanic share of enrollment ticked up from 5% to 29% over that span.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.