Rising Leaders Academy, 1527 Lincoln Ave.: a public charter school founded in 2012, 311 students (2024-25), an A in Florida's 2026 grades. 850-215-0844.
Last checked Oct. 10, 2026. Sources: the school’s website, Bay District Schools and its charter schools page and 2026-27 start and end times, the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades and the federal NCES school directory.
Rising Leaders Academy is a tuition-free public charter school on Lincoln Avenue, inside the Panama City limits. It opened in Panama City in 2012 and is run by a nonprofit corporation; students must live in Bay County to enroll, according to the school’s about page. Bay District Schools sponsors it.
Which grades? The sources differ. The school’s home page calls it a “K-8” school. The federal directory for 2025-26 lists kindergarten through grade 12, and the district’s 2026-27 bell schedule lists a K-5 section and a 6-12 section. Ask the school which grades have seats.
Who to call
- Front office: 850-215-0844, 1527 Lincoln Ave., Panama City, FL 32405; office hours 7:40 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays
- School website: risingleadersacademy.org
- Applications: the school’s application page
- Charter schools at the district: Bay District Schools main office, 850-767-4100
| Address | 1527 Lincoln Ave., Panama City, FL 32405 |
| Phone | 850-215-0844 |
| Grades | Kindergarten and up (see above) |
| Principal | Alison Johnson |
| Type | Public charter school |
| 2026 state grade | A (74% of points) |
Principal. Alison Johnson is the principal, according to the school’s staff page. Suha Jaber, who founded the school in 2012 and was its principal until 2019, is executive director.
How admission works
Kindergarten families fill out the online form; for older grades, families download the registration form, the school’s application page says. Children must be 5 on or before Sept. 1 to start kindergarten. For 2026-27, the school said it would contact families “once the lottery is held in February 2026.”
Enrollment and teachers
- Federal count: 311 students in the 2024-25 school year, with 20 full-time-equivalent classroom teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 16 students per teacher.
State report card
Florida gave Rising Leaders Academy an A in its 2026 school grades, with 74% of the points possible, its third A in a row, according to the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades file. The school’s state report card has results by student group; it is an interactive dashboard that could not be read for this page.
| 2026 school grade measure | Result |
|---|---|
| School grade | A (74% of points) |
| Third grade English language arts achievement | 82% |
| English language arts achievement | 78% |
| English language arts learning gains | 66% |
| Math achievement | 76% |
| Math learning gains | 69% |
| Science achievement | 77% |
| Social studies achievement | 95% |
| Middle school acceleration | 76% |
Florida grades schools A to F on the share of possible points earned across these measures. Achievement is the share of tested students on grade level; learning gains is the share who improved from the year before. The state’s file lists Rising Leaders as a combination school, where A is 65% of points or more.
Attendance zone
None. Charter schools do not take students by address. To see which district schools serve a home, use the district’s School Zone and Bus Route search or Bay County’s school zone map.
Calendar and bell times
From the district’s 2026-27 start and end times:
- Grades K-5: 7:40 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.; Fridays 7:40 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Grades 6-12: 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Fridays 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
The school posts its own 2026-27 calendar.
Programs
The school names project-based learning with the Expeditionary Learning model, foreign languages, STEM, entrepreneurship, leadership skills and a creativity program on its website. Uniforms are required.
More on Panama City schools
- The district’s charter schools page, with every Bay County charter school
- Every public school in Panama City, with zones and report cards
- Our Panama City schools guide for the district calendar, registration and School Board meetings
Frequently asked questions
How do students get into Rising Leaders Academy?
Families of Bay County residents apply to the school: an online form for kindergarten and a registration form for older grades. The school holds a lottery; for 2026-27 it was held in February 2026.
What is Rising Leaders Academy’s school grade?
Rising Leaders Academy earned an A in Florida’s 2026 school grades, with 74% of possible points, its third A in a row.
What time does Rising Leaders Academy start?
The district’s 2026-27 schedule lists 7:40 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. for grades K-5 and 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for grades 6-12, with early dismissal on Fridays.
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