Enrollment
307
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Pell City, AL
Duran South
Federal NCES profile for Duran South, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 010265001541
👥 S:T ratio 18
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Duran South earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Alabama schools.
- #3 of 7
- public schools in Pell City · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.5:1
- large classes for Alabama
- 49.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Duran South has class sizes larger than 86% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Duran South ranks #3 of 7 public schools in Pell City, AL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.5:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.8%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Duran South compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Duran South
Duran South is a mid-sized middle school in Pell City, Alabama, enrolling 307 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.5:1 is larger than about 86% of Alabama schools and 16% above the 17.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 49.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 307 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Among 222 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Alabama schools statewide, it ranks #160, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 307 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 124 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 307 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Pell City's middle schools, it stands alongside Duran Junior High School (601 students): Duran South is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.5:1 vs 40.1:1).
Pell City also operates Pell City High School (1,193 students) and Duran Junior High School (601 students) alongside Duran South.
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 Duran South compares
Duran South on the metrics families compare, against Alabama and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alabama | Alabama avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.5:1 | ▲ 16% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.8% | ▼ 15% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 307 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.5:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
307
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
49.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% 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
20.5:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 86% in Alabama - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
30.6%
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
$10,747
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 307 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
78
in-school suspensions + 46 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 25.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 40.4 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pell City, which includes Duran South.
$10,747
Per student
-14%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.2%
State 62.5%
Federal 16.2%
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.
How Duran South Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pell City High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Duran Junior High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Williams Intermediate School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Walter M Kennedy School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Coosa Valley Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Duran South's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,193
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 601
- Students per teacher
- 40.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 598
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 437
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 404
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar middle schools in Pell City
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~307 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Duran South's federal record.
- Compare Duran South against another school. Compare schools
- Pell City'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 Duran South
How many students attend Duran South?
Duran South has 307 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Pell City, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Duran South?
The student-teacher ratio at Duran South is 20.5:1, which is 16% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 31% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Duran South?
49.8% of students at Duran South are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Duran South?
Duran South has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Duran South rank among public schools in Pell City?
By Resource Investment Index, Duran South ranks #3 of 7 public schools in Pell City, 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 Pell City on the city page.
Is Duran South a good school?
Duran South earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% 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 Pell City?
Besides Duran South, Pell City also operates Pell City High School (1,193 students), Duran Junior High School (601 students), and Williams Intermediate School (598 students). See the Pell City 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.