Enrollment
766
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Calera, AL
Calera Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Calera Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 010303001169
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Calera Elementary earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Alabama schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Calera · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.4:1
- students per teacher
- 55.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Calera Elementary has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Calera Elementary ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Calera, AL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.4:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.3%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Calera Elementary compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Calera Elementary
Calera Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Calera, Alabama, enrolling 766 students.
At 17.4:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 55.3% lands close to the Alabama typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 766 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Among 367 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Alabama schools statewide, it ranks #316, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (44%) and White (39%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 64/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 511 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Calera's elementary schools, it stands alongside Calera Intermediate School (747 students): Calera Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.4:1 vs 19.2:1).
Shelby County also operates Oak Mountain High School (1,648 students) and Helena High School (1,383 students) alongside Calera Elementary.
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 Calera Elementary compares
Calera Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Alabama and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alabama | Alabama avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.4:1 | ▼ 2% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.3% | ▼ 6% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 766 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.4:1
Leaner classes than 28% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
766
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
55.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% 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
17.4:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 50% in Alabama - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
19.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,253
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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 511 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 43.5%
White 38.9%
Hispanic or Latino 14.2%
Two or More 1.7%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 43.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.9, Calera Elementary is more mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Shelby County, which includes Calera Elementary.
$11,253
Per student
-10%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.9%
State 51.9%
Federal 9.2%
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 Calera Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Mountain High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Helena High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chelsea High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Oak Mountain Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Calera High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Calera Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,648
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,383
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,235
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,168
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,018
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar elementary schools in Calera
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 (~766 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Calera Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Calera Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Shelby 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 Calera Elementary
How many students attend Calera Elementary?
Calera Elementary has 766 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Calera, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Calera Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Calera Elementary is 17.4:1, which is 2% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 11% 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 Calera Elementary?
55.3% of students at Calera Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Calera Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Calera Elementary is African American at 43.5% of enrollment, in Calera, AL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Calera Elementary?
Calera Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (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 Calera Elementary rank among public schools in Calera?
By Resource Investment Index, Calera Elementary ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Calera, 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 Calera on the city page.
Is Calera Elementary a good school?
Calera Elementary earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Shelby County?
Besides Calera Elementary, Shelby County also operates Oak Mountain High School (1,648 students), Helena High School (1,383 students), and Chelsea High School (1,235 students). See the Shelby 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.