Enrollment
370
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Birmingham, AL
Bush Hills Steam Academy
Federal NCES profile for Bush Hills Steam Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 22/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 010039002204
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bush Hills Steam Academy earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median.
- #10 of 10
- middle schools in Birmingham · Resource Index
- 22
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.8:1
- students per teacher
- 88.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Bush Hills Steam Academy has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bush Hills Steam Academy ranks #10 of 10 middle schools in Birmingham, AL.
School address
District: Birmingham City · Alabama
NCES ID 010039002204 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
88.2%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bush Hills Steam Academy compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bush Hills Steam Academy
Bush Hills Steam Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Birmingham, Alabama, enrolling 370 students.
At 16.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Alabama median, within a few percentage points of the 17.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 88.2% of students qualify for free meals, 50% above the Alabama average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 370 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 1,365 Alabama schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 185 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Alabama schools statewide, it ranks #173, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 21/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 370 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 141 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 370 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Birmingham's middle schools, it stands alongside Oak Mountain Middle School (1,168 students): Bush Hills Steam Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.8:1 vs 20.9:1).
Birmingham City also operates Huffman High Schoolmagnet (1,094 students) and Parker High School (942 students) alongside Bush Hills Steam Academy.
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 Bush Hills Steam Academy compares
Bush Hills Steam Academy on the metrics families compare, against Alabama and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alabama | Alabama avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.8:1 | ▼ 5% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 88.2% | ▲ 50% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 370 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
370
Bigger than 43% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
88.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 50% above the Alabama average of 58.8%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.8:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 41% in Alabama - lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
41.4%
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
$13,890
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 370 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 141 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 38.1 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
African American 88.4%
Hispanic or Latino 10.5%
Two or More 1.1%
Largest group: African American at 88.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 20.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 20.7, Bush Hills Steam Academy is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Birmingham City, which includes Bush Hills Steam Academy.
$13,890
Per student
+11%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.0%
State 43.8%
Federal 23.2%
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.
How Bush Hills Steam Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huffman High Schoolmagnet | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Parker High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Glen Iris Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Huffman Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ramsay High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bush Hills Steam Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,094
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 942
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Resource Index
- 11/100
- Enrollment
- 827
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 779
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 762
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar middle schools in Birmingham
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Oak Mountain Middle School
Standard public school
1,168 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Jones Valley Middle School
Standard public school
465 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Wilkerson Middle School
Standard public school
424 students 24.9:1 students per teacher
I3 Academy Phase 2
Standard public school
400 students 33.3:1 students per teacher
Huffman Middle School
Standard public school
384 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Smith Middle School
Standard public school
336 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Similar middle 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 (~370 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bush Hills Steam Academy's federal record.
- Compare Bush Hills Steam Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Birmingham 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 Bush Hills Steam Academy
How many students attend Bush Hills Steam Academy?
Bush Hills Steam Academy has 370 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Birmingham, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bush Hills Steam Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Bush Hills Steam Academy is 16.8:1, which is 5% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 7% 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 Bush Hills Steam Academy?
88.2% of students at Bush Hills Steam Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bush Hills Steam Academy?
The largest demographic group at Bush Hills Steam Academy is African American at 88.4% of enrollment, in Birmingham, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bush Hills Steam Academy?
Bush Hills Steam Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (lower 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 Bush Hills Steam Academy rank among middle schools in Birmingham?
By Resource Investment Index, Bush Hills Steam Academy ranks #10 of 10 middle schools in Birmingham, AL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Birmingham on the city page.
Is Bush Hills Steam Academy a good school?
Bush Hills Steam Academy earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median. 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 Birmingham City?
Besides Bush Hills Steam Academy, Birmingham City also operates Huffman High Schoolmagnet (1,094 students), Parker High School (942 students), and Glen Iris Elementary School (827 students). See the Birmingham 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, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.