Enrollment
375
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Marion, AL
Breakthrough Charter School
Federal NCES profile for Breakthrough Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010020802503Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Breakthrough Charter School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Alabama schools.
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 75:1
- large classes for Alabama
- 46.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 375
- students enrolled
Breakthrough Charter School has class sizes larger than 99% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Breakthrough Charter School · Alabama
NCES ID 010020802503 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
75:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+324% 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
What stands out at Breakthrough Charter School
Breakthrough Charter School is a mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Marion, Alabama, enrolling 375 students.
Class loads run heavy: 75:1 is larger than about 99% of Alabama schools and 324% above the 17.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 46.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 375 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 1,365 Alabama schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 279 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Alabama schools statewide, it ranks #274, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (65%) and White (28%) (diversity index 50/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Breakthrough Charter School spends $18,685 per pupil, 50% above the Alabama average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 23.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Marion's public schools, it stands alongside Francis Marion School (413 students): Breakthrough Charter School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (75:1 vs 12.5:1).
Breakthrough Charter School is a single-school charter district, so Breakthrough Charter School operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Breakthrough Charter School compares
Breakthrough Charter 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 | 75:1 | ▲ 324% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.1% | ▼ 22% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 375 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
75:1
Leaner classes than 0% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
375
Bigger than 44% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
75:1
students per teacher
- 324% above state mean
Top 99% in Alabama - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
20.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,685
per pupil, district-wide
- above Alabama avg of $12,491
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
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
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.
Student-body diversity index 50.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.3, Breakthrough Charter School is more mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Breakthrough Charter School, which includes Breakthrough Charter School.
$18,685
Per student
+50%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
+13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
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 (~375 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Breakthrough Charter School's federal record.
- Compare Breakthrough Charter School against another school. Compare schools
- Breakthrough Charter School'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 Breakthrough Charter School
How many students attend Breakthrough Charter School?
Breakthrough Charter School has 375 students enrolled. It is a public school in Marion, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Breakthrough Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Breakthrough Charter School is 75:1, which is 324% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 378% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Marion, AL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Breakthrough Charter School?
Breakthrough Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Breakthrough Charter School a good school?
Breakthrough Charter School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% 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 Breakthrough Charter School?
None; Breakthrough Charter School is a single-school charter district, and Breakthrough Charter School is its only campus.
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.