Enrollment
486
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Tuscumbia, AL
Colbert Heights Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Colbert Heights Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010084001658
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 36
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Colbert Heights Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median.
- #3 of 4
- schools in Tuscumbia · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.2:1
- students per teacher
- 42.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Colbert Heights Elementary School has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Colbert Heights Elementary School ranks #3 of 4 schools in Tuscumbia, AL.
School address
District: Colbert County · Alabama
NCES ID 010084001658 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.9%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Colbert Heights Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Colbert Heights Elementary School
Colbert Heights Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Tuscumbia, Alabama, enrolling 486 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 16.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 42.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 486 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 318 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #221.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 486 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.5% 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 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Tuscumbia's public schools, it stands alongside Colbert Heights High School (467 students): Colbert Heights Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.2:1 vs 15.1:1).
Colbert County also operates Colbert Heights High School (467 students) and Colbert County High School (438 students) alongside Colbert Heights 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 Colbert Heights Elementary School compares
Colbert Heights 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 | 16.2:1 | ▼ 8% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.9% | ▼ 27% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 486 | top 48% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
486
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% 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
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 31% in Alabama - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.5%
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 486 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
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 88.3%
Hispanic or Latino 5.1%
Two or More 4.7%
African American 1.9%
Largest group: White at 88.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.5, Colbert Heights 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 Colbert Heights 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 Colbert Heights Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colbert Heights High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Colbert County High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Leighton Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hatton Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cherokee Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Colbert Heights Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- 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
- Enrollment
- 226
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar other schools in Tuscumbia
3 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 (~486 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Colbert Heights Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Colbert Heights 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 Colbert Heights Elementary School
How many students attend Colbert Heights Elementary School?
Colbert Heights Elementary School has 486 students enrolled. It is a public school in Tuscumbia, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Colbert Heights Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Colbert Heights Elementary School is 16.2:1, which is 8% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 3% 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 Colbert Heights Elementary School?
42.9% of students at Colbert Heights Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Colbert Heights Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Colbert Heights Elementary School is White at 88.3% of enrollment, in Tuscumbia, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Colbert Heights Elementary School?
Colbert Heights Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Colbert Heights Elementary School rank among schools in Tuscumbia?
By Resource Investment Index, Colbert Heights Elementary School ranks #3 of 4 schools in Tuscumbia, AL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Tuscumbia on the city page.
Is Colbert Heights Elementary School a good school?
Colbert Heights Elementary School earns 36/100 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 Colbert County?
Besides Colbert Heights Elementary School, Colbert County also operates Colbert Heights High School (467 students), Colbert County High School (438 students), and Leighton Elementary School (355 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.