Enrollment
665
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Centre, AL
Centre Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Centre Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010063000275
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Centre Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Centre · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.6:1
- students per teacher
- 61.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Centre Elementary School has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Centre Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Centre, AL.
School address
District: Cherokee County · Alabama
NCES ID 010063000275 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.5%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Centre Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Centre Elementary School
Centre Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Centre, Alabama, enrolling 665 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 16.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 61.5% lands close to the Alabama typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 665 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 406 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #60.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 665 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
11.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 17.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Cherokee County also operates Sand Rock High School (783 students) and Cedar Bluff High School (623 students) alongside Centre 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 Centre Elementary School compares
Centre 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 | 16.6:1 | ▼ 6% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.5% | ▲ 5% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 665 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.6:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
665
Bigger than 78% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
61.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% 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
16.6:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 37% in Alabama - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,235
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 665 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.7 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
White 81.1%
African American 6.9%
Two or More 6.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.1%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 81.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.1, Centre 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 Cherokee County, which includes Centre Elementary School.
$12,235
Per student
-2%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.4%
State 54.8%
Federal 17.8%
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 Centre Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sand Rock High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cedar Bluff High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Spring Garden High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Centre Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cherokee County High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Centre Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 783
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 623
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 550
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 450
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 448
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
Similar other 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 (~665 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Centre Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Centre Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Cherokee 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 Centre Elementary School
How many students attend Centre Elementary School?
Centre Elementary School has 665 students enrolled. It is a public school in Centre, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Centre Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Centre Elementary School is 16.6:1, which is 6% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 6% 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 Centre Elementary School?
61.5% of students at Centre Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Centre Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Centre Elementary School is White at 81.1% of enrollment, in Centre, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Centre Elementary School?
Centre Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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).
How does Centre Elementary School rank among public schools in Centre?
By Resource Investment Index, Centre Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Centre, 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 Centre on the city page.
Is Centre Elementary School a good school?
Centre Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median. 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 Cherokee County?
Besides Centre Elementary School, Cherokee County also operates Sand Rock High School (783 students), Cedar Bluff High School (623 students), and Spring Garden High School (550 students). See the Cherokee 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.