Enrollment
1,034
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 010123002480
Dothan Preparatory Academy — Dothan, AL
Federal NCES profile for Dothan Preparatory Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 22
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: Dothan 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)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.9%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dothan Preparatory Academy 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
Dothan Preparatory Academy reports 1,034 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 60.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% 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 19% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 73.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 26% above the Alabama average and 43% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 517 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dothan City spends $14,524 per pupil district-wide, above the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 21.5% from local sources (property taxes), 53.0% from the state, and 25.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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 Dothan Preparatory Academy 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 | 18.9:1 | ▲ 6% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.9% | ▲ 26% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,034 | top 93% | — | — |
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
73.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 26% 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
18.9:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 71% in Alabama — lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.4%
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
$14,524
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 517 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
290
in-school suspensions + 183 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 28.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 45.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 64 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,034 Top 93% in Alabama — larger than 7% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 60.0
Students per teacher 18.9:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 73.9% +26% vs state
NCES ID 010123002480
Student demographics
African American 62.0%
White 24.8%
Hispanic or Latino 9.3%
Two or More 1.9%
Asian 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 62.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 517:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.4%
In-school suspensions 290
Out-of-school suspensions 183
Expulsions 64
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dothan City, which includes Dothan Preparatory Academy.
$14,524
Per student
+0%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 21.5%
State 53.0%
Federal 25.5%
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
- 1,588
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 583
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 516
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Enrollment
- 476
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
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 Dothan Preparatory Academy
How many students attend Dothan Preparatory Academy?
Dothan Preparatory Academy has 1,034 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Dothan, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dothan Preparatory Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Dothan Preparatory Academy is 18.9:1, which is 6% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dothan Preparatory Academy?
73.9% of students at Dothan Preparatory Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dothan Preparatory Academy?
The largest demographic group at Dothan Preparatory Academy is African American at 62.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Dothan, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dothan Preparatory Academy?
Dothan Preparatory Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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.