Enrollment
395
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 010318001210
Bb Comer Memorial High School — Sylacauga, AL
Federal NCES profile for Bb Comer Memorial High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 27/100.
👥 Class size 22
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 34
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: Talladega County · 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.5:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.1%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bb Comer Memorial 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
Bb Comer Memorial High School reports 395 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.5:1 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: 74.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 26% above the Alabama average and 43% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 395 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Talladega County spends $13,083 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.4% from local sources (property taxes), 55.3% from the state, and 16.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (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 Bb Comer Memorial 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 | 19.5:1 | ▲ 10% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.1% | ▲ 26% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 395 | top 36% | — | — |
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
74.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 26% above the Alabama average of 58.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.5:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 79% in Alabama — lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,083
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 395 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
182
in-school suspensions + 86 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 46.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 67.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 395 Top 36% in Alabama — larger than 64% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 19.5:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 74.1% +26% vs state
NCES ID 010318001210
Student demographics
White 63.3%
African American 29.1%
Hispanic or Latino 4.8%
Two or More 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 63.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 7
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 395:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.3%
In-school suspensions 182
Out-of-school suspensions 86
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Talladega County, which includes Bb Comer Memorial High School.
$13,083
Per student
-10%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.4%
State 55.3%
Federal 16.2%
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
- 902
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 770
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Enrollment
- 607
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 580
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 521
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
Similar other schools in Sylacauga
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Bb Comer Memorial High School
How many students attend Bb Comer Memorial High School?
Bb Comer Memorial High School has 395 students enrolled. It is a other school in Sylacauga, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bb Comer Memorial High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bb Comer Memorial High School is 19.5:1, 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 Bb Comer Memorial High School?
74.1% of students at Bb Comer Memorial High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bb Comer Memorial High School?
The largest demographic group at Bb Comer Memorial High School is White at 63.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Sylacauga, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bb Comer Memorial High School?
Bb Comer Memorial High School has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.