Enrollment
194
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 010180002486
Academy for Science Foreign Language Middle School — Huntsville, AL
Federal NCES profile for Academy for Science Foreign Language Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 61
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Huntsville City · Alabama
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.5%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Academy for Science Foreign Language Middle School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Academy for Science Foreign Language Middle School reports 194 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% below the Alabama state mean of 17.8:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 27.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 53% below the Alabama average and 47% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Huntsville City spends $13,040 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 43.6% from local sources (property taxes), 39.2% from the state, and 17.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Academy for Science Foreign Language Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Alabama state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Alabama | Alabama avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13:1 | ▼ 27% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.5% | ▼ 53% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 194 | top 7% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
27.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 53% below the Alabama average of 58.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
— 27% below state mean
Top 3% in Alabama — lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
15.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$13,040
per pupil, district-wide
— below Alabama avg of $14,500
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 194 Top 7% in Alabama — larger than 93% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 13:1 -27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 27.5% -53% vs state
NCES ID 010180002486
Student demographics
African American 56.2%
White 18.6%
Two or More 12.9%
Hispanic or Latino 9.8%
Asian 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 56.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.5%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 22
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Huntsville City, which includes Academy for Science Foreign Language Middle School.
$13,040
Per student
-10%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 43.6%
State 39.2%
Federal 17.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,847
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 1,807
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,152
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 935
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 916
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
Similar middle schools in Huntsville
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Monrovia Middle School
Standard public school
988 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
Williams Middle School
Standard public school
659 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Whitesburg Middle School
Standard public school
535 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Huntsville Junior High School
Standard public school
530 students 19:1 students per teacher
Challenger Middle School
Standard public school
425 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Morris Middle School
Standard public school
397 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Academy for Science Foreign Language Middle School
How many students attend Academy for Science Foreign Language Middle School?
Academy for Science Foreign Language Middle School has 194 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Huntsville, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Academy for Science Foreign Language Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Academy for Science Foreign Language Middle School is 13:1, which is 27% lower than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Academy for Science Foreign Language Middle School?
27.5% of students at Academy for Science Foreign Language Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Academy for Science Foreign Language Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Academy for Science Foreign Language Middle School is African American at 56.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Huntsville, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Academy for Science Foreign Language Middle School?
Academy for Science Foreign Language Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.