Enrollment
1,018
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 010303001170
Calera High — Calera, AL
Federal NCES profile for Calera High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 22
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 48
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: Shelby County · 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)
55.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.4:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.3%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Calera High 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
Calera High reports 1,018 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 55.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% 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 22% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 50.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 14% below the Alabama average and 3% below the national baseline. The school offers 11 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 509 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Shelby County spends $12,606 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.9% from local sources (property taxes), 51.9% from the state, and 9.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Calera High 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 | 19.4:1 | ▲ 9% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.3% | ▼ 14% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,018 | top 93% | — | — |
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
50.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 14% 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
19.4:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 78% in Alabama — lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.8%
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
$12,606
per pupil, district-wide
— below Alabama avg of $14,500
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 509 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
255
in-school suspensions + 126 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 25.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 37.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 11 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,018 Top 93% in Alabama — larger than 7% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 55.0
Students per teacher 19.4:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 50.3% -14% vs state
NCES ID 010303001170
Student demographics
African American 44.3%
White 38.9%
Hispanic or Latino 13.0%
Two or More 2.8%
Asian 1.1%
Largest group: African American at 44.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 509:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.8%
In-school suspensions 255
Out-of-school suspensions 126
Expulsions 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Shelby County, which includes Calera High.
$12,606
Per student
-13%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,648
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,383
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,235
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,168
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 957
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
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 Calera High
How many students attend Calera High?
Calera High has 1,018 students enrolled. It is a high school in Calera, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Calera High?
The student-teacher ratio at Calera High is 19.4:1, which is 9% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 22% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Calera High?
50.3% of students at Calera High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Calera High?
The largest demographic group at Calera High is African American at 44.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Calera, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Calera High?
Calera High has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.