Enrollment
316
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 010144000515
C J Donald Middle School — Fairfield, AL
Federal NCES profile for C J Donald Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 26/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 37
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: Fairfield 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)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
30.2:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+70% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.6%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How C J Donald Middle 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
C J Donald Middle School reports 316 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 11.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 30.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 70% 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 90% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 84.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 44% above the Alabama average and 63% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 316 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fairfield City spends $14,560 per pupil district-wide, above the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.6% from local sources (property taxes), 55.3% from the state, and 25.1% 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 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 C J Donald Middle 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 | 30.2:1 | ▲ 70% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.6% | ▲ 44% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 316 | top 21% | — | — |
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
84.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 44% 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
30.2:1
students per teacher
— 70% 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
25.3%
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
$14,560
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 316 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 316 Top 21% in Alabama — larger than 79% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 11.0
Students per teacher 30.2:1 +70% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 84.6% +44% vs state
NCES ID 010144000515
Student demographics
African American 95.3%
Hispanic or Latino 4.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 95.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 316:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fairfield City, which includes C J Donald Middle School.
$14,560
Per student
+0%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.6%
State 55.3%
Federal 25.1%
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
- 519
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Enrollment
- 275
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 238
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
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 C J Donald Middle School
How many students attend C J Donald Middle School?
C J Donald Middle School has 316 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Fairfield, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at C J Donald Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at C J Donald Middle School is 30.2:1, which is 70% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 90% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at C J Donald Middle School?
84.6% of students at C J Donald Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of C J Donald Middle School?
The largest demographic group at C J Donald Middle School is African American at 95.3%. The school serves a student body in Fairfield, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for C J Donald Middle School?
C J Donald Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (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.