Rising Leaders Academy

Q: Is Rising Leaders Academy a good school?

Rising Leaders Academy ranks 751 st of 2256 Florida alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Rising Leaders Academy is an alternative public charter school located in Panama City, Florida, serving grades K-12 with a total enrollment of 301 students. The school is part of the Bay District, which is ranked 28th out of 68 districts in Florida and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Rising Leaders Academy consistently outperforms the Bay District and Florida state averages in various standardized test scores, including EOC (End-of-Course) exams, Statewide Science assessments, and FAST (Florida Assessment of Student Thinking) English Language Arts and Math assessments. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, Rising Leaders Academy had 91% proficiency in EOC/Algebra 1, compared to 55% for the Bay District and Florida state. The school also had exceptional performance in EOC/Civics, with 97% proficiency, compared to 68% for the Bay District and 67% for Florida. However, Rising Leaders Academy has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, from 11.4% in the 2020-2021 school year to 27.2% in the 2022-2023 school year, which is higher than the nearby Deane Bozeman School.

Rising Leaders Academy has a more diverse student population compared to the nearby Deane Bozeman School, which has a predominantly white student body. In the 2022-2023 school year, Rising Leaders Academy had 58.14% white, 18.94% African American, 9.3% Hispanic, and 4.65% Asian students. Additionally, Rising Leaders Academy has a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 24.02% in 2020-2021 to 39.07% in 2021-2022, which is lower than the nearby Margaret K. Lewis In Millville school, which had a 52.75% free and reduced lunch rate in 2022-2023.

Detail:

Public, Charter, Alternative K-12

1527 Lincoln Ave
Panama City, FL 32405

(850) 215-0844

District: Bay

SchoolDigger Rank:
751^st of 2,256 Florida Alternative Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $9,126

Student/teacher ratio: 16.7

Number of students: 301

Racial breakdown:

White:

58.1%

African American:

18.9%

Hispanic:

9.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 36.2%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Rising Leaders Academy ranks better than 66.7% of elementary schools in Florida. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 65.16. (See more...)

Compare Details Rising Leaders Academy ranks better than 93.2% of middle schools in Florida. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 90.03. (See more...)

Compare Details Rising Leaders Academy ranks better than 96.9% of high schools in Florida. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 89.43. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a high school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (58.1%), African American (18.9%), Hispanic (9.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 36.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Rising Leaders Academy is 16.7, which is the 2^nd best among 3 alternative schools in the Bay School District. (See more...)

Compare Rising Leaders Academy employs 18 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Rising Leaders Academy is $9,126, which is the 3^rd highest among 3 alternative schools in the Bay School District.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Rising Leaders Academy was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Rising Leaders Academy 81^st of 1196 Florida public middle schools. (See Rising Leaders Academy in the ranking list.)

SchoolDigger ranks Rising Leaders Academy 25^th of 807 Florida public high schools. (See Rising Leaders Academy in the ranking list.)

Bay:

SchoolDigger ranks Bay 28^th of 68 Florida school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Rising Leaders Academy

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	FL State Percentile
2014	87.73	198^th	2064	90.4%
2016	91.86	115^th	2087	94.5%
2017	91.46	115^th	2112	94.6%
2018	74.02	506^th	2118	76.1%
2019	84.28	304^th	2182	86.1%
2021	75.62	516^th	2247	77.0%
2022	69.95	625^th	2219	71.8%
2023	80.59	395^th	2240	82.4%
2024	65.16	751^st	2256	66.7%

See the entire list of Florida Alternative School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Florida Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Rising Leaders Academy

Compare

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	FL State Percentile
2017	95.87	20^th	1031	98.1%
2018	98.22	5^th	1035	99.5%
2019	94.57	41^st	1099	96.3%
2021	76.14	246^th	1136	78.3%
2022	74.70	254^th	1148	77.9%
2023	94.22	41^st	1177	96.5%
2024	90.03	81^st	1196	93.2%

See the entire list of Florida Alternative School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Florida Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Rising Leaders Academy

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	FL State Percentile
2021	81.32	56^th	746	92.5%
2022	82.30	58^th	774	92.5%
2023	76.29	92^nd	792	88.4%
2024	89.43	25^th	807	96.9%

See the entire list of Florida Alternative School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Florida Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Florida Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Rising Leaders Academy

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2013	66	5	4	1	1	0	7	84
2014	73	8	2	6	1	0	4	94
2015	81	9	5	3	0	0	4	102
2016	97	15	7	2	0	0	3	124
2017	107	16	5	7	0	0	5	140
2018	122	31	6	11	4	3	10	187
2019	130	42	8	13	2	2	10	207
2020	137	33	8	21	3	2	16	220
2021	143	47	10	29	3	2	20	254
2022	160	57	9	28	3	1	21	279
2023	175	57	14	28	4	1	22	301

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Rising Leaders Academy

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2013	84	11.0	7.6	23.8
2014	94	8.0	11.7	31.9
2015	102	11.0	9.2	26.5
2016	124	10.0	12.4	10.5
2017	140	10.0	14.0	15
2018	187	14.0	13.3	30.5
2019	207	13.0	15.9	31.4
2020	220	17.0	12.9	32.3
2021	254	16.0	15.8	24
2022	279	14.0	19.9	39.1
2023	301	18.0	16.7	36.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Rising Leaders Academy

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2013	84	11.0	7.6	23.8
2014	94	8.0	11.7	31.9
2015	102	11.0	9.2	26.5
2016	124	10.0	12.4	10.5
2017	140	10.0	14.0	15
2018	187	14.0	13.3	30.5
2019	207	13.0	15.9	31.4
2020	220	17.0	12.9	32.3
2021	254	16.0	15.8	24
2022	279	14.0	19.9	39.1
2023	301	18.0	16.7	36.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Rising Leaders Academy

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2018	$00 (0.0%)	$7,290 (100.0%)	$7,290
2019	$00 (0.0%)	$6,956 (100.0%)	$6,956
2020	$00 (0.0%)	$8,300 (100.0%)	$8,300
2021	$2,857 (28.8%)	$7,047 (71.1%)	$9,905
2022	$420 (5.2%)	$7,700 (94.8%)	$8,120
2023	$402 (4.4%)	$8,725 (95.6%)	$9,126

Data source: Florida Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Rising Leaders Academy

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 304^th of 2182 Elementary schools	Ranks 395^th of 2240 Elementary schools	3.7%
Ranks 41^st of 1099 Middle schools	Ranks 41^st of 1177 Middle schools	0.2%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Rising Leaders Academy)	76	58	18%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Bay)	61	51	10%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Florida)	58	53	5%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Rising Leaders Academy)	76	53	23%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Bay)	62	55	7%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Florida)	62	58	4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Rising Leaders Academy)	89	77	12%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Bay)	58	52	6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Florida)	58	57	1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Rising Leaders Academy)	67	77	10%
4th Grade Mathematics (Bay)	59	54	5%
4th Grade Mathematics (Florida)	64	61	3%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Rising Leaders Academy)	81	53	28%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Bay)	56	52	4%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Florida)	54	52	2%
6th Grade Mathematics (Rising Leaders Academy)	88	76	12%
6th Grade Mathematics (Bay)	53	48	5%
6th Grade Mathematics (Florida)	55	49	6%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Rising Leaders Academy)	100	56	44%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Bay)	54	49	5%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Florida)	52	48	4%
End of Course Civics (Rising Leaders Academy)	100	94	6%
End of Course Civics (Bay)	74	71	3%
End of Course Civics (Florida)	71	66	5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	207	301	45.4%
African American	42	57	35.7%
American Indian	2	4	100%
Asian	8	14	75%
Hispanic	13	28	115.4%
Pacific Islander	2	1	50%
White	130	175	34.6%
Two or More Races	10	22	120%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	31.4%	36.2%	4.8%

Schools Near Rising Leaders Academy

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				FAST English Language Arts (2024)								FAST Math (2024)						Statewide Science Science (2024)		EOC Algebra 1 (2024)	EOC Geometry (2024)	EOC Biology 1 (2024)	EOC US History (2024)	EOC Civics (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 9th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 10th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Biology 1 End of Course	EOC US History End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Rising Leaders Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	1527 Lincoln Ave	Panama City	32405	Bay County	Bay	Yes	No	No	No	(850) 215-0844	301	18	16.7	36.2%	175 (58.1%)	57 (18.9%)	28 (9.3%)	14 (4.7%)	4 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (7.3%)								(n/a)	71.0	58.0	62.0	77.0	80.0	82.0			84.0	69.0	44.0	77.0	80.0		35.0	77.0	91.0				97.0	$9,126	$402	$8,725
Bay Virtual Instruction Program	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	1311 Balboa Ave	Panama City	32401	Bay County	Bay	No	No	Yes	No	(850) 747-4460	7	0			5 (71.4%)	2 (28.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Bay Virtual Franchise	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	1311 Balboa Ave	Panama City	32401	Bay County	Bay	No	No	Yes	No	(850) 767-4460	66	0		7.6%	52 (78.8%)	3 (4.5%)	8 (12.1%)	1 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.0%)								(n/a)																						$6,139	$00	$6,138
Exceptional Student Education	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	1311 Balboa Ave	Panama City	32401	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	No	(850) 872-4100	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Bay Virtual Instruction Program (District Provided)	Public, Virtual, Alternative	3-12	1311 Balboa Ave	Panama City	32401	Bay County	Bay	No	No	Yes	No	(850) 767-4377	117	0		30.8%	86 (73.5%)	13 (11.1%)	9 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (6.8%)								(n/a)																				54.0		$4,878	$00	$4,878
Bay Regional Juvenile Detention Center	Public, Alternative	K-12	450 E 11th St	Panama City	32401	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	No	(850) 872-4706	23	1	23.0	60.9%	14 (60.9%)	5 (21.7%)	2 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (8.7%)								(n/a)
Margaret K. Lewis In Millville	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	203 N East Ave	Panama City	32401	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 767-1792	182	24	7.6	52.7%	113 (62.1%)	35 (19.2%)	20 (11.0%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (6.6%)								(n/a)																						$36,504	$6,755	$29,748
Surfside Middle School	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	300 Nautilus St	Panama City Beach	32413	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	No	(850) 767-5180	843	43	19.6	48.4%	549 (65.1%)	80 (9.5%)	117 (13.9%)	20 (2.4%)	10 (1.2%)	2 (0.2%)	65 (7.7%)								(n/a)				51.0	55.0	56.0						62.0	46.0	64.0		59.0	96.0	100.0			65.0	$8,557	$924	$7,633
Deane Bozeman School	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	13410 Highway 77	Panama City	32409	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	No	(850) 767-1300	1,619	85	19.0	44.8%	1,463 (90.4%)	9 (0.6%)	79 (4.9%)	4 (0.2%)	7 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	55 (3.4%)								(n/a)	66.0	59.0	46.0	54.0	66.0	62.0	59.0	49.0	80.0	66.0	58.0	70.0	71.0	77.0	55.0	69.0	62.0	63.0	72.0	65.0	88.0	$9,226	$1,157	$8,070

Frequently Asked Questions about Rising Leaders Academy

How many students attend Rising Leaders Academy?

In the 2022-23 school year, 301 students attended Rising Leaders Academy.

Is Rising Leaders Academy a good school?

Rising Leaders Academy ranks 751^st of 2256 Florida alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Rising Leaders Academy?

Students at Rising Leaders Academy are 58% White, 19% African American, 9% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 5% Asian, 1% American Indian.

What district is Rising Leaders Academy in?

Bay

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.