Enrollment
887
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Ariton, AL
Ariton School
Federal NCES profile for Ariton School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010105000388
👥 S:T ratio 21
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 11
📋 Attendance 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ariton School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of Alabama schools.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.7:1
- large classes for Alabama
- 52.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 887
- students enrolled
Ariton School has class sizes larger than 80% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.7:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.3%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ariton School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ariton School
Ariton School is a higher-need, large combined-grade school in Ariton, Alabama, enrolling 887 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 19.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 52.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 887 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 286 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #55.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and African American (12%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 444 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
12.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Dale County also operates Gw Long Elementary School (492 students) and Midland City Elementary School (478 students) alongside Ariton School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Ariton School compares
Ariton School on the metrics families compare, against Alabama and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alabama | Alabama avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.7:1 | ▲ 11% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.3% | ▼ 11% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 887 | top 11% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.7:1
Leaner classes than 17% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
887
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% 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
19.7:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 80% in Alabama - lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
12.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,476
per pupil, district-wide
- below Alabama avg of $12,491
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 444 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 62 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 72.5%
African American 11.6%
Hispanic or Latino 10.6%
Two or More 3.4%
Asian 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 72.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.8, Ariton School is more mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dale County, which includes Ariton School.
$11,476
Per student
-8%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.9%
State 64.6%
Federal 13.5%
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.
How Ariton School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gw Long Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Midland City Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dale County High School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| South Dale Middle School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| George W Long High School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ariton School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 492
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 478
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 437
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 412
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 377
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Alabama, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~887 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ariton School's federal record.
- Compare Ariton School against another school. Compare schools
- Dale County's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Ariton School
How many students attend Ariton School?
Ariton School has 887 students enrolled. It is a public school in Ariton, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ariton School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ariton School is 19.7:1, which is 11% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ariton School?
52.3% of students at Ariton School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ariton School?
The largest demographic group at Ariton School is White at 72.5% of enrollment, in Ariton, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ariton School?
Ariton School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Ariton School a good school?
Ariton School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of Alabama schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Dale County?
Besides Ariton School, Dale County also operates Gw Long Elementary School (492 students), Midland City Elementary School (478 students), and Dale County High School (437 students). See the Dale County district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.