Enrollment
206
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Buhl, AL
Buhl Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Buhl Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010339001275
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 59
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Buhl Elementary School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Alabama schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Buhl · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.8:1
- small classes for Alabama
- 54.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Buhl Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 75% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Buhl Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Buhl, AL.
School address
District: Tuscaloosa County · Alabama
NCES ID 010339001275 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.3%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buhl Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Buhl Elementary School
Buhl Elementary School is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Buhl, Alabama, enrolling 206 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 54.3% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 92% of Alabama schools, with 206 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 93% of the 1,365 Alabama schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 96 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #13.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 39/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 206 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Tuscaloosa County also operates Tuscaloosa County High School (1,607 students) and Hillcrest High School (1,434 students) alongside Buhl 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 Buhl Elementary School compares
Buhl 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 | 15.8:1 | ▼ 11% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.3% | ▼ 8% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 206 | top 92% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.8:1
Leaner classes than 40% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
206
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.3%
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
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 25% in Alabama - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.9%
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
$11,186
per pupil, district-wide
- below Alabama avg of $12,491
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 206 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
White 75.7%
Hispanic or Latino 18.0%
African American 2.9%
Two or More 1.9%
Asian 1.5%
Largest group: White at 75.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.3, Buhl Elementary School is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tuscaloosa County, which includes Buhl Elementary School.
$11,186
Per student
-10%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.0%
State 58.1%
Federal 14.9%
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 Buhl Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuscaloosa County High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hillcrest High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Brookwood High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lake View Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Walker Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Buhl Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,607
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,434
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,076
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 744
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 743
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
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 (~206 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Buhl Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Buhl Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Tuscaloosa County'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 Buhl Elementary School
How many students attend Buhl Elementary School?
Buhl Elementary School has 206 students enrolled. It is a public school in Buhl, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buhl Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Buhl Elementary School is 15.8:1, which is 11% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 1% higher 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 Buhl Elementary School?
54.3% of students at Buhl Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buhl Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Buhl Elementary School is White at 75.7% of enrollment, in Buhl, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buhl Elementary School?
Buhl Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Buhl Elementary School rank among public schools in Buhl?
By Resource Investment Index, Buhl Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Buhl, AL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Buhl on the city page.
Is Buhl Elementary School a good school?
Buhl Elementary School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% 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 Tuscaloosa County?
Besides Buhl Elementary School, Tuscaloosa County also operates Tuscaloosa County High School (1,607 students), Hillcrest High School (1,434 students), and Brookwood High School (1,076 students). See the Tuscaloosa County 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, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.