Enrollment
251
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Decatur, AL
Benjamin Davis Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Benjamin Davis Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010117000437
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Benjamin Davis Elementary School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Alabama schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Alabama schools.
- #2 of 11
- schools in Decatur · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.9:1
- small classes for Alabama
- 56.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Benjamin Davis Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 91% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Benjamin Davis Elementary School ranks #2 of 11 schools in Decatur, AL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.7%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benjamin Davis Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Benjamin Davis Elementary School
Small campus with unusually lean teacher staffing
Benjamin Davis Elementary School sits near the smaller end of the Alabama enrollment distribution while also reporting a lower student-teacher ratio than most state schools. That pairing is consistent with a compact, teacher-dense setting, though small scale can limit the number of specialized courses or support roles a campus can sustain. The program and staffing sections below show whether the lean ratio extends beyond classroom teachers into broader student services.
Resource indicators are the standout signal
Benjamin Davis Elementary School's economic-need measure is not at a state extreme, while its Resource Investment Index is. The campus outranks most Alabama schools on the combined reported-resource measure, so the differentiator comes from staffing, counselor access, gifted programming, or attendance rather than from an unusually low-need population alone. The component breakdown identifies which inputs actually produce that placement.
A combined-grade campus has a different support burden
Benjamin Davis Elementary School serves a combined grade span rather than a conventional elementary, middle, or high-school band. That structure can require the same campus to cover transitions, counseling needs, and programs for students at substantially different developmental stages, so a single staffing ratio deserves more caution than it would at a narrower-grade school. Federal totals show the available people and programs, but not how those resources are divided among grade levels.
Benjamin Davis Elementary School is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Decatur, Alabama, enrolling 251 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 13.9:1, Benjamin Davis Elementary School is leaner than roughly 91% of Alabama schools and 21% under the state's 17.7:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 56.7% lands close to the Alabama typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 251 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 167 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #60.
Its student body is led by White (38%) and African American (34%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 251 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
13.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Decatur's public schools, it stands alongside Austin Junior High School (664 students): Benjamin Davis Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.9:1 vs 14.4:1).
Decatur City also operates Austin High School (999 students) and Decatur High School (915 students) alongside Benjamin Davis Elementary 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 Benjamin Davis Elementary School compares
Benjamin Davis Elementary 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 | 13.9:1 | ▼ 21% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.7% | ▼ 4% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 251 | top 87% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
251
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
56.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 9% in Alabama - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
13.1%
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
$13,764
per pupil, district-wide
- above Alabama avg of $12,491
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 251 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
White 38.2%
African American 33.9%
Hispanic or Latino 20.7%
Two or More 6.0%
Asian 1.2%
Largest group: White at 38.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.3, Benjamin Davis Elementary School is more mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Decatur City, which includes Benjamin Davis Elementary School.
$13,764
Per student
+10%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.5%
State 47.0%
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 Benjamin Davis Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Decatur High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Decatur Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Austin Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Austin Junior High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Benjamin Davis Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 999
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 915
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 818
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 727
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 664
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar other schools in Decatur
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Austin Junior High School
Standard public school
664 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Oak Park Elementary School
Standard public school
481 students 16:1 students per teacher
Bankscaddell Elementary School
Standard public school
477 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Austinville Elementary School
Standard public school
463 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Chestnut Grove Elementary School
Standard public school
436 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Frances Nungester Elementary School
Standard public school
428 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
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 (~251 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Benjamin Davis Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Benjamin Davis Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Decatur City'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 Benjamin Davis Elementary School
How many students attend Benjamin Davis Elementary School?
Benjamin Davis Elementary School has 251 students enrolled. It is a public school in Decatur, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benjamin Davis Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Benjamin Davis Elementary School is 13.9:1, which is 21% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Benjamin Davis Elementary School?
56.7% of students at Benjamin Davis Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benjamin Davis Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Benjamin Davis Elementary School is White at 38.2% of enrollment, in Decatur, AL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benjamin Davis Elementary School?
Benjamin Davis Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Benjamin Davis Elementary School rank among schools in Decatur?
By Resource Investment Index, Benjamin Davis Elementary School ranks #2 of 11 schools in Decatur, AL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Decatur on the city page.
What other schools are in Decatur City?
Besides Benjamin Davis Elementary School, Decatur City also operates Austin High School (999 students), Decatur High School (915 students), and Decatur Middle School (818 students). See the Decatur City 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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026.