Enrollment
935
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 010012001473
Athens Middle School — Athens, AL
Federal NCES profile for Athens Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 22
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 7
📋 Attendance 54
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: Athens 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)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.6:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.2%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Athens 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
Athens Middle School reports 935 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 49.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% above the Alabama state mean of 17.8:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 23% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 8% below the Alabama average and 5% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 468 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Athens City spends $15,353 per pupil district-wide, above the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.1% from local sources (property taxes), 38.8% from the state, and 9.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Athens 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 | 19.6:1 | ▲ 10% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.2% | ▼ 8% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 935 | top 91% | — | — |
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
54.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 8% 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
19.6:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 81% in Alabama — lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.3%
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
$15,353
per pupil, district-wide
— above Alabama avg of $14,500
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 468 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
31
in-school suspensions + 54 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 6 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 935 Top 91% in Alabama — larger than 9% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 49.0
Students per teacher 19.6:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.2% -8% vs state
NCES ID 010012001473
Student demographics
White 46.8%
Hispanic or Latino 24.5%
African American 20.9%
Two or More 5.6%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 46.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 468:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.3%
In-school suspensions 31
Out-of-school suspensions 54
Expulsions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Athens City, which includes Athens Middle School.
$15,353
Per student
+6%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.1%
State 38.8%
Federal 9.1%
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
- 1,278
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 641
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Enrollment
- 474
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 409
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
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 Athens Middle School
How many students attend Athens Middle School?
Athens Middle School has 935 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Athens, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Athens Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Athens Middle School is 19.6:1, which is 10% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 23% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Athens Middle School?
54.2% of students at Athens Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Athens Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Athens Middle School is White at 46.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Athens, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Athens Middle School?
Athens Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.