Enrollment
397
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Rockford, AL
Central Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Central Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 010090002074
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Elementary School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Alabama schools.
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.9:1
- small classes for Alabama
- 64.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 397
- students enrolled
Central Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 73% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Coosa County · Alabama
NCES ID 010090002074 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.8%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central Elementary School
Central Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Rockford, Alabama, enrolling 397 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 64.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 397 students, its enrollment sits close to the Alabama median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 413 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #208.
Its student body is led by White (51%) and African American (34%) (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 397 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Coosa County spends $15,283 per pupil, 22% above the Alabama average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 28.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 178 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 397 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Its district, Coosa County, also runs Central High School (354 students).
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 Central Elementary School compares
Central 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 | 15.9:1 | ▼ 10% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.8% | ▲ 10% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 397 | top 63% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.9:1
Leaner classes than 39% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
397
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
64.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% 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
15.9:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 27% in Alabama - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
28.7%
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
$15,283
per pupil, district-wide
- above Alabama avg of $12,491
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 397 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
93
in-school suspensions + 85 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 23.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 44.8 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 50.9%
African American 33.5%
Hispanic or Latino 9.8%
Two or More 5.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 50.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.6, Central Elementary School is more mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Coosa County, which includes Central Elementary School.
$15,283
Per student
+22%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.7%
State 38.5%
Federal 28.7%
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 Central Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 354
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~397 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Central Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Coosa 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 Central Elementary School
How many students attend Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has 397 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Rockford, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School is 15.9:1, which is 10% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 1% 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 Central Elementary School?
64.8% of students at Central Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Central Elementary School is White at 50.9% of enrollment, in Rockford, AL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical 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).
Is Central Elementary School a good school?
Central Elementary School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% 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 Coosa County?
Besides Central Elementary School, Coosa County also operates Central High School (354 students). See the Coosa 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.