Enrollment
296
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 010039000107
Charles a Brown Elementary School — Birmingham, AL
Federal NCES profile for Charles a Brown Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 23
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 38
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: Birmingham City · 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)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.2:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.5%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Charles a Brown Elementary School 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
Charles a Brown Elementary School reports 296 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 16.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% 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 21% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 78.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 34% above the Alabama average and 52% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 592 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Birmingham City spends $15,867 per pupil district-wide, above the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.0% from local sources (property taxes), 43.8% from the state, and 23.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Charles a Brown Elementary School 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 | 19.2:1 | ▲ 8% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.5% | ▲ 34% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 296 | top 19% | — | — |
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
78.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 34% 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
19.2:1
students per teacher
— 8% above state mean
Top 76% in Alabama — lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.7%
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
$15,867
per pupil, district-wide
— above Alabama avg of $14,500
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 592 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 296 Top 19% in Alabama — larger than 81% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 16.0
Students per teacher 19.2:1 +8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 78.5% +34% vs state
NCES ID 010039000107
Student demographics
African American 93.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 93.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 592:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Birmingham City, which includes Charles a Brown Elementary School.
$15,867
Per student
+9%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.0%
State 43.8%
Federal 23.2%
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
- 1,094
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 942
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Enrollment
- 827
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 779
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 762
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
Similar other schools in Birmingham
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Huffman High Schoolmagnet
Standard public school
1,094 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Glen Iris Elementary School
Standard public school
827 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Chalkville Elementary School
Standard public school
818 students 22.5:1 students per teacher
Huffman Academy
Standard public school
779 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
Jacksonolin High School
Standard public school
713 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
Bryant Park Elementary
Standard public school
707 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
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 Charles a Brown Elementary School
How many students attend Charles a Brown Elementary School?
Charles a Brown Elementary School has 296 students enrolled. It is a other school in Birmingham, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Charles a Brown Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Charles a Brown Elementary School is 19.2:1, which is 8% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 21% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Charles a Brown Elementary School?
78.5% of students at Charles a Brown Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Charles a Brown Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Charles a Brown Elementary School is African American at 93.2%. The school serves a student body in Birmingham, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Charles a Brown Elementary School?
Charles a Brown Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.