Enrollment
370
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 010039002204
Bush Hills Steam Academy — Birmingham, AL
Federal NCES profile for Bush Hills Steam Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 19/100.
👥 Class size 21
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 0
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: Birmingham City · 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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.7:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+11% 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
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
Bush Hills Steam Academy reports 370 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 24% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 88.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 50% above the Alabama average and 70% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 370 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 41.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Birmingham City spends $15,867 per pupil district-wide, above the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.0% from local sources (property taxes), 43.8% from the state, and 23.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Bush Hills Steam Academy 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 | 19.7:1 | ▲ 11% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 88.2% | ▲ 50% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 370 | top 30% | — | — |
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
88.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 50% above the Alabama average of 58.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.7:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 82% in Alabama — lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
41.4%
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
$15,867
per pupil, district-wide
— above Alabama avg of $14,500
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
Enrollment 370 Top 30% in Alabama — larger than 70% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 19.7:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 88.2% +50% vs state
NCES ID 010039002204
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 370:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 41.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 141
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Birmingham City, which includes Bush Hills Steam Academy.
$15,867
Per student
+9%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,094
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 942
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Enrollment
- 827
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 779
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 762
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
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 21:1 students per teacher
Jones Valley Middle School
Standard public school
465 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Wilkerson Middle School
Standard public school
424 students 22.9:1 students per teacher
I3 Academy Phase 2
Standard public school
400 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Huffman Middle School
Standard public school
384 students 21:1 students per teacher
Smith Middle School
Standard public school
336 students 25.1:1 students per teacher
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 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 19.7:1, which is 11% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 24% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a student body in Birmingham, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bush Hills Steam Academy?
Bush Hills Steam Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.