For Sebastian River Middle School

Welcome to My School Stats for Sebastian River Middle School.

How much attention do students get at your school? One way to find the answer is to look at the student-teacher ratio.

Keep in mind that The measure you see for your school is the one your state uses.

Class size or student-teacher ratio is just one factor to consider when evaluating your school. You’ll also want to consider the quality of the teaching, school leadership, school size and other factors.

Until next time,

The GreatSchools Team

What is Sebastian River Middle School's Student-Teacher Ratio?

Source: Data provided by the state Department of Education. If no data is displayed on your school's profile, it most likely means the data was not reported by the state Department of Education.

Source: Data provided by the state Department of Education. If no data is displayed on your school's profile, it most likely means the data was not reported by the state Department of Education.

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Issues to Consider What are the benefits of small classes?

Although common sense would indicate that smaller classes are better for students, research doesn't show that this is necessarily so across the board. Most studies show academic achievement and test score gains are greatest when there are classes of fewer than 30 students in grades K-3, and the greatest gains have been in reading and math. Students who are economically disadvantaged seem to benefit the most. In higher grades, however, small classes seem to have less of an effect on achievement levels. Also, small classes alone don't raise student achievement levels — they need to be paired with effective teaching and appropriate learning activities to make a difference.

There is evidence that smaller classes have a positive effect on student attitudes and tend to improve classroom management as well as teacher morale. A recent in which high school dropouts were surveyed found that most students said they would have been more likely to stay in school if they had been in small classes, had better teachers and received more relevant instruction.

Are there disadvantages to small classes?

While small classes generally provide greater attention to students, there can be unintended consequences. When California mandated class size reduction in grades K-3 in 1997, schools needed to hire more teachers and many were forced to hire less experienced teachers, or teachers without full credentials, to meet the demand. Many districts had to add portable classrooms or build new schools to accommodate the small classes — a cost they were not prepared for. Making classes smaller came at a high price, and hampered school districts from funding other educational needs.

In 2002, Florida voters approved legislation to reduce class size and these smaller classes must be phased in by 2010. The state Board of Education estimates that Florida will need to spend $2 billion to build enough classrooms to meet the demand, but it is unclear where this money will come from and what effect the move will have on the other education needs in the state.

What's the difference between the student-teacher ratio and the average class size?

The student-teacher ratio is the number of students at a school divided by the number of teachers, staff and and/or adults at the site. Different states define student-teacher ratio in different ways (for example, teachers only, all certified staff, all certified and non-certified staff). The student-teacher ratio often includes specialist teachers such as music, art, physical education and special education teachers, while the average class size generally only includes regular classroom teachers.

The average class size is the number of all students in each teacher's class divided by the number of regular teachers for specific classes (for example, the number of second-graders divided by the number of second-grade teachers). In public elementary schools in the United States, the average difference between class size and student-teacher ratio is about 10 students. For example, an elementary school with a student-teacher ratio of 14:1 would have an average class size of 24 students.

Numbers can be deceiving. While a school may have an average class size of 20, or a student-teacher ratio of 10:1, your child could still have 30 students in his class. It's important to be aware of the average, but also the actual class size.How important is class size? What other factors should I consider?

Class size is just one factor to consider when evaluating your school. Keep in mind these other factors:

Teacher quality: Regardless of whether or not your school has small classes, you'll want to know if the teachers use effective techniques — such as small group work, hands-on activities, individualized instruction — to engage students in learning. Do the teachers work in grade-level teams? Do more experienced teachers mentor the newer teachers? Do the teachers have the opportunity to learn from each other and from experts in their field?

Student load: This term refers to the number of students a teacher is responsible for each day. This is important to consider, particularly in high school, where it makes sense for teachers in language arts classes to have a smaller student load than teachers in math and science. An English teacher who has a student load of 200 is less likely to assign and correct papers than a teacher with a student load of 60. A math teacher, on the other hand, could successfully handle a student load of 100 or more students.

Partner teachers/teacher aides/volunteers: Some schools may have larger class sizes but are able to provide quality instruction by having teacher aides, parent and community volunteers and/or partner teachers — an additional teacher in the classroom for part or all of the school day. By effectively using these adults, schools can improve morale for teachers and provide the necessary attention for students. Be aware that these additional adults, who may play a vital role in the classroom, are generally not included in class size and student-teacher ratio statistics. Ask at your school how partner teachers, teacher aides and volunteers are employed in the classroom.

School size: School size may be as important as class size in influencing student behavior, especially in the upper grades. A recent study entitled showed that students in small schools are more likely to be academically successful, take more advanced level courses and participate in extracurricular activities.

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Sebastian River Middle School

Grades: 6-8
Type: public
Enrollment: 1309
9400 Fellsmere Rd
Sebastian, FL 32958
Indian River County
Phone: (772) 564-5111
Fax: (772) 564-5113
District: Indian River County School District
More about Sebastian schools

This school was given a grade of "A" by the Florida Department of Education in 2005-2006. In 2004-2005, this school received a "B".

Source: FL Dept. of Education, 2005-2006

About the School Grades

Florida uses School Grades to measure the overall performance of a school each year on the FCAT.

Each school is assigned a letter grade (A-F) based on three criteria: the overall performance on the FCAT, the percentage of eligible students who took the test, and whether or not students made progress in reading and math.

The School Grades are calculated by adding points earned from each of the performance criteria listed above.

More about the School Grades

Compare with School Grades from nearby schools


FCAT Results

Scale: % scoring at or above grade level Grade 6 Reading 69% (2006) 55% (2005) 51% (2004) 55% (2003) The state average for Reading was 64% in 2006. Math 51% (2006) 48% (2005) 44% (2004) 46% (2003) The state average for Math was 53% in 2006. Source: FL Dept. of Education, 2005-2006 Grade 7 Reading 57% (2006) 52% (2005) 57% (2004) 53% (2003) The state average for Reading was 61% in 2006. Math 63% (2006) 60% (2005) 58% (2004) 51% (2003) The state average for Math was 55% in 2006. Source: FL Dept. of Education, 2005-2006 Grade 8 Reading 41% (2006) 49% (2005) 46% (2004) 52% (2003) The state average for Reading was 46% in 2006. Science 29% (2006) The state average for Science was 32% in 2006. Writing 92% (2005) 91% (2004) 90% (2003) The state average for Writing was 92% in 2005. Math 67% (2006) 66% (2005) 57% (2004) 50% (2003) The state average for Math was 60% in 2006. Source: FL Dept. of Education, 2005-2006 About the Tests In 2005-2006 Florida used the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) to test students in grades 3 through 10 in reading and math and in grades 5, 8 and 11 in science. The FCAT Writing+ test replaced the former FCAT writing test given in grades 4, 8 and 10 and is reported separately in GreatSchools profiles. The FCAT is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills needed to progress through school. The FCAT has 5 achievement levels for reading, math and science, with level 1 being the lowest and level 5 the highest. The writing test is scored on a scale of 1-6. Florida considers scores of level 3 and higher to be on or above grade level. The goal is for all students to score at or above level 3.


FCAT Writing+ Results

Scale: % scoring at or above level 3.5 Grade 8 Writing 82% (2006) The state average for Writing was 83% in 2006. Source: FL Dept. of Education, 2005-2006 About the Tests In 2005-2006 Florida used the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Writing+ to test students in grades 4, 8 and 10. The Writing+ is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills needed to progress through school. The FCAT Writing+ is scored on a scale of 1 to 6. The state uses the score of 3.5 and higher as the standard for grading schools. More about the tests FCAT NRT results