Enrollment
226
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cherokee, AL
Cherokee Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Cherokee Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010084000331
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 8
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cherokee Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of Alabama schools.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.9:1
- small classes for Alabama
- 41.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 226
- students enrolled
Cherokee Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 98% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Colbert County · Alabama
NCES ID 010084000331 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.2%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cherokee Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cherokee Elementary School
Cherokee Elementary School is a small combined-grade school in Cherokee, Alabama, enrolling 226 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.9:1, Cherokee Elementary School is leaner than roughly 98% of Alabama schools and 33% under the state's 17.7:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 41.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 226 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 59 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #33.
Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 226 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Cherokee's public schools, it stands alongside Cherokee High School (206 students): Cherokee Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (11.9:1 vs 10.3:1).
Colbert County also operates Colbert Heights Elementary School (486 students) and Colbert Heights High School (467 students) alongside Cherokee 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 Cherokee Elementary School compares
Cherokee 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 33% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.2% | ▼ 30% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 226 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.9:1
Leaner classes than 76% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
226
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
11.9:1
students per teacher
- 33% below state mean
Top 2% in Alabama - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
36.7%
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
$13,961
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 226 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 82.7%
Hispanic or Latino 7.1%
Two or More 5.3%
African American 4.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: White at 82.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 30.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 30.7, Cherokee 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 Colbert County, which includes Cherokee Elementary School.
$13,961
Per student
+12%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.7%
State 47.3%
Federal 18.0%
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 Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colbert Heights Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Colbert Heights High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Colbert County High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Leighton Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hatton Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cherokee Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 486
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 467
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 438
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 355
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 236
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar other schools in Cherokee
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~226 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cherokee Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Cherokee Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Colbert 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 Elementary School
How many students attend Cherokee Elementary School?
Cherokee Elementary School has 226 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cherokee, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cherokee Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cherokee Elementary School is 11.9:1, which is 33% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 24% lower 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 Cherokee Elementary School?
41.2% of students at Cherokee Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cherokee Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Cherokee Elementary School is White at 82.7% of enrollment, in Cherokee, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cherokee Elementary School?
Cherokee Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Cherokee Elementary School a good school?
Cherokee Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% 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 Colbert County?
Besides Cherokee Elementary School, Colbert County also operates Colbert Heights Elementary School (486 students), Colbert Heights High School (467 students), and Colbert County High School (438 students). See the Colbert 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.