Enrollment
161
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 010021302528 Charter school
Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School — Bessemer, AL
Federal NCES profile for Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 37
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: Alabama Aerospace and Aviation · 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)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.6%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High 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
Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School reports 161 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 5.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 50.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 14% below the Alabama average and 2% below the national baseline.
Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), calculated from 1 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 Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High 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 | 15.8:1 | ▼ 11% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.6% | ▼ 14% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 161 | top 4% | — | — |
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
50.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 14% below the Alabama average of 58.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.8:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 20% in Alabama — lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Overview
Enrollment 161 Top 4% in Alabama — larger than 96% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 5.0
Students per teacher 15.8:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 50.6% -14% vs state
NCES ID 010021302528
Student demographics
African American 78.3%
White 8.1%
Hispanic or Latino 7.5%
Two or More 5.6%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: African American at 78.3% of enrollment.
Similar high schools in Bessemer
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School
How many students attend Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School?
Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School has 161 students enrolled. It is a high school in Bessemer, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School is 15.8:1, which is 11% lower than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 1% 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 Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School?
50.6% of students at Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School?
The largest demographic group at Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School is African American at 78.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bessemer, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School?
Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) based on 1 factor: student-teacher ratio. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.