Enrollment
375
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 010020802503 Charter school
Breakthrough Charter School — Marion, AL
Federal NCES profile for Breakthrough Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 26/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 49
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: Breakthrough Charter School · 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
56.4:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+217% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.1%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Breakthrough Charter 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
Breakthrough Charter School reports 375 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 5.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 56.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 217% 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 255% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 46.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 22% below the Alabama average and 11% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Breakthrough Charter School spends $20,848 per pupil district-wide, above the Alabama average of $14,500 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 13.8% from local sources (property taxes), 63.2% from the state, and 23.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Breakthrough Charter 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 | 56.4:1 | ▲ 217% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.1% | ▼ 22% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 375 | top 31% | — | — |
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
46.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 22% 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
56.4:1
students per teacher
— 217% above state mean
Top 100% in Alabama — lower ratio than 0% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
20.5%
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
$20,848
per pupil, district-wide
— above Alabama avg of $14,500
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Overview
Enrollment 375 Top 31% in Alabama — larger than 69% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 5.0
Students per teacher 56.4:1 +217% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 46.1% -22% vs state
NCES ID 010020802503
Student demographics
African American 64.5%
White 28.0%
Two or More 4.3%
Hispanic or Latino 3.2%
Largest group: African American at 64.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.5%
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Breakthrough Charter School, which includes Breakthrough Charter School.
$20,848
Per student
+44%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 13.8%
State 63.2%
Federal 23.0%
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.
Similar other schools in Marion
1 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 Breakthrough Charter School
How many students attend Breakthrough Charter School?
Breakthrough Charter School has 375 students enrolled. It is a other school in Marion, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Breakthrough Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Breakthrough Charter School is 56.4:1, which is 217% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 255% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Breakthrough Charter School?
46.1% of students at Breakthrough Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Breakthrough Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Breakthrough Charter School is African American at 64.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Marion, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Breakthrough Charter School?
Breakthrough Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.