Enrollment
689
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Valley, AL
Fairfax Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Fairfax Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010060000257
👥 S:T ratio 16
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 78
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fairfax Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Alabama schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Alabama schools.
- #1 of 4
- schools in Valley · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.9:1
- large classes for Alabama
- 61.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Fairfax Elementary School has class sizes larger than 90% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fairfax Elementary School ranks #1 of 4 schools in Valley, AL.
School address
District: Chambers County · Alabama
NCES ID 010060000257 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.9:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.9%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fairfax Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fairfax Elementary School
Fairfax Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Valley, Alabama, enrolling 689 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.9:1 is larger than about 90% of Alabama schools and 18% above the 17.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 61.9% lands close to the Alabama typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 689 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 397 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #103.
Its student body is led by White (49%) and African American (33%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 689 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 21.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Valley's public schools, it stands alongside Beulah Elementary School (696 students): Fairfax Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (20.9:1 vs 15.5:1).
Chambers County also operates Valley High School (692 students) and W F Burns Middle School (545 students) alongside Fairfax 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 Fairfax Elementary School compares
Fairfax 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 | 20.9:1 | ▲ 18% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.9% | ▲ 5% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 689 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.9:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
689
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
61.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% 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
20.9:1
students per teacher
- 18% above state mean
Top 90% in Alabama - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
8.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,053
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 689 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.5 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 48.6%
African American 33.4%
Hispanic or Latino 12.8%
Two or More 4.4%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 48.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.4, Fairfax Elementary School is more mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chambers County, which includes Fairfax Elementary School.
$12,053
Per student
-4%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.0%
State 55.7%
Federal 21.2%
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 Fairfax Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| W F Burns Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Huguley Elementary School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lafayette Eastside Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bob Hardingshawmut Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fairfax Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 692
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 545
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 311
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 232
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar other schools in Valley
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 (~689 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fairfax Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Fairfax Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Chambers 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 Fairfax Elementary School
How many students attend Fairfax Elementary School?
Fairfax Elementary School has 689 students enrolled. It is a public school in Valley, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fairfax Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Fairfax Elementary School is 20.9:1, which is 18% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 33% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Fairfax Elementary School?
61.9% of students at Fairfax Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fairfax Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Fairfax Elementary School is White at 48.6% of enrollment, in Valley, AL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fairfax Elementary School?
Fairfax Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Fairfax Elementary School rank among schools in Valley?
By Resource Investment Index, Fairfax Elementary School ranks #1 of 4 schools in Valley, AL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Valley on the city page.
Is Fairfax Elementary School a good school?
Fairfax Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Alabama schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Chambers County?
Besides Fairfax Elementary School, Chambers County also operates Valley High School (692 students), W F Burns Middle School (545 students), and Huguley Elementary School (383 students). See the Chambers 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.