Enrollment
448
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Centre, AL
Cherokee County High School
Federal NCES profile for Cherokee County High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 20/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 010063000278
👥 S:T ratio 25
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 5
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cherokee County High School earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Centre · Resource Index
- 20
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.7:1
- students per teacher
- 56.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Cherokee County High School has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cherokee County High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Centre, AL.
School address
District: Cherokee County · Alabama
NCES ID 010063000278 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.6%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cherokee County High School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cherokee County High School
Cherokee County High School is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Centre, Alabama, enrolling 448 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 56.6% lands close to the Alabama typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 448 students, its enrollment sits close to the Alabama median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 1,365 Alabama schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 454 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Alabama schools statewide, it ranks #452, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 448 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 156 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 448 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Cherokee County also operates Sand Rock High School (783 students) and Centre Elementary School (665 students) alongside Cherokee County High 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 Cherokee County High School compares
Cherokee County High 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 | 18.7:1 | ▲ 6% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.6% | ▼ 4% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 448 | top 55% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.7:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
448
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
56.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
18.7:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 69% in Alabama - lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
37.9%
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
$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 448 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
66
in-school suspensions + 90 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 34.8 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 84.2%
African American 6.5%
Hispanic or Latino 5.1%
Two or More 3.8%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 84.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.3, Cherokee County High School is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cherokee County, which includes Cherokee County High 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 Cherokee County High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sand Rock High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Centre Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cedar Bluff High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Spring Garden High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Centre Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cherokee County High 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
- 665
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- 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
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 (~448 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cherokee County High School's federal record.
- Compare Cherokee County High 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 Cherokee County High School
How many students attend Cherokee County High School?
Cherokee County High School has 448 students enrolled. It is a high school in Centre, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cherokee County High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cherokee County High School is 18.7:1, which is 6% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cherokee County High School?
56.6% of students at Cherokee County High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cherokee County High School?
The largest demographic group at Cherokee County High School is White at 84.2% of enrollment, in Centre, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cherokee County High School?
Cherokee County High School has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (lower 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 Cherokee County High School rank among public schools in Centre?
By Resource Investment Index, Cherokee County High School ranks #3 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 Cherokee County High School a good school?
Cherokee County High School earns 20/100 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 Cherokee County High School, Cherokee County also operates Sand Rock High School (783 students), Centre Elementary School (665 students), and Cedar Bluff High School (623 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.