Enrollment
1,018
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Calera, AL
Calera High
Federal NCES profile for Calera High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 010303001170
👥 S:T ratio 26
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Calera High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Alabama schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Calera · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.5:1
- students per teacher
- 50.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Calera High has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Calera High ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Calera, AL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
55.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+5% 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
What stands out at Calera High
Calera High is a higher-need, large high school in Calera, Alabama, enrolling 1,018 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 50.3% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Alabama, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,018 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 194 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #114.
Its student body is led by African American (44%) and White (39%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 64/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 11 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 509 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Discipline events run high: 381 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,018 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 11 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Shelby County also operates Oak Mountain High School (1,648 students) and Helena High School (1,383 students) alongside Calera High.
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 High compares
Calera High on the metrics families compare, against Alabama and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alabama | Alabama avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.5:1 | ▲ 5% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.3% | ▼ 14% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,018 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,018
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 66% in Alabama - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 63.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.5, Calera High is more mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Shelby County, which includes Calera High.
$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 High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Mountain High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Helena High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chelsea High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Oak Mountain Middle School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Helena Middle | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Calera High'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
- 957
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar high 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 (~1,018 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Calera High's federal record.
- Compare Calera High 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 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 18.5:1, which is 5% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Calera, AL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Calera High?
Calera High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Calera High rank among public schools in Calera?
By Resource Investment Index, Calera High ranks #2 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 High a good school?
Calera High earns 40/100 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 High, 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.