Enrollment
542
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Trussville, AL
Cahaba Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Cahaba Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 010001302402
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 86
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cahaba Elementary School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Alabama schools.
- #2 of 6
- public schools in Trussville · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.5:1
- small classes for Alabama
- 13.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Cahaba Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 78% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cahaba Elementary School ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Trussville, AL.
School address
District: Trussville City · Alabama
NCES ID 010001302402 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
13.6%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-77% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cahaba Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cahaba Elementary School
Cahaba Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Trussville, Alabama, enrolling 542 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 13.6% free-meal eligibility runs 77% below the Alabama average.
With 542 students, its enrollment sits close to the Alabama median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 59 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #16.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 35/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 542 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 5.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Trussville's elementary schools, it stands alongside Magnolia Elementary School (391 students): Cahaba Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.5:1 vs 14:1).
Trussville City also operates Hewitttrussville High School (1,571 students) and Paine Elementary School (1,338 students) alongside Cahaba 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 Cahaba Elementary School compares
Cahaba 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 | 15.5:1 | ▼ 12% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.6% | ▼ 77% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 542 | top 38% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.5:1
Leaner classes than 42% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
542
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
13.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 77% below the Alabama average of 58.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.5:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 22% in Alabama - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
5.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$11,528
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 542 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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 80.1%
Hispanic or Latino 7.0%
African American 6.6%
Two or More 3.9%
Asian 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 80.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.7, Cahaba 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 Trussville City, which includes Cahaba Elementary School.
$11,528
Per student
-8%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.1%
State 51.0%
Federal 7.0%
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.
How Cahaba Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hewitttrussville High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Paine Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hewitttrussville Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Magnolia Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cahaba Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,571
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,338
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 1,163
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 391
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar elementary schools in Trussville
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~542 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cahaba Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Cahaba Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Trussville 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 Cahaba Elementary School
How many students attend Cahaba Elementary School?
Cahaba Elementary School has 542 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Trussville, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cahaba Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cahaba Elementary School is 15.5:1, which is 12% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 1% lower 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 Cahaba Elementary School?
13.6% of students at Cahaba Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cahaba Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Cahaba Elementary School is White at 80.1% of enrollment, in Trussville, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cahaba Elementary School?
Cahaba Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Cahaba Elementary School rank among public schools in Trussville?
By Resource Investment Index, Cahaba Elementary School ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Trussville, 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 Trussville on the city page.
Is Cahaba Elementary School a good school?
Cahaba Elementary School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% 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 Trussville City?
Besides Cahaba Elementary School, Trussville City also operates Hewitttrussville High School (1,571 students), Paine Elementary School (1,338 students), and Hewitttrussville Middle School (1,163 students). See the Trussville 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.