Enrollment
972
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fairhope, AL
Fairhope West Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Fairhope West Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010027001711
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fairhope West Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Alabama schools.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Fairhope · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.9:1
- small classes for Alabama
- 34.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Fairhope West Elementary has class sizes smaller than 73% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fairhope West Elementary ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Fairhope, AL.
School address
District: Baldwin County · Alabama
NCES ID 010027001711 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
61.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.9%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fairhope West Elementary compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fairhope West Elementary
Fairhope West Elementary is a large combined-grade school in Fairhope, Alabama, enrolling 972 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 34.9% free-meal eligibility runs 41% below the Alabama average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Alabama, bigger than 92% of state schools at 972 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 161 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #66.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and African American (9%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 324 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
14.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Fairhope's public schools, it stands alongside J Larry Newton School (804 students): Fairhope West Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.9:1 vs 15.8:1).
Baldwin County also operates Daphne High School (1,639 students) and Fairhope High School (1,536 students) alongside Fairhope West Elementary.
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 Fairhope West Elementary compares
Fairhope West Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Alabama and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alabama | Alabama avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.9:1 | ▼ 10% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.9% | ▼ 41% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 972 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.9:1
Leaner classes than 39% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
972
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% below the Alabama average of 58.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.9:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 27% in Alabama - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,999
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 324 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
27
in-school suspensions + 57 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.6 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 74.4%
African American 8.5%
Hispanic or Latino 8.2%
Two or More 7.6%
Asian 1.2%
Largest group: White at 74.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.7, Fairhope West Elementary is about as mixed as the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Baldwin County, which includes Fairhope West Elementary.
$11,999
Per student
-4%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.2%
State 37.3%
Federal 10.5%
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.
How Fairhope West Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daphne High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fairhope High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Foley High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robertsdale High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Spanish Fort High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fairhope West Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,639
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,536
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,520
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 1,418
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,115
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar other schools in Fairhope
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 (~972 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fairhope West Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Fairhope West Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Baldwin 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 Fairhope West Elementary
How many students attend Fairhope West Elementary?
Fairhope West Elementary has 972 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fairhope, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fairhope West Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Fairhope West Elementary is 15.9:1, which is 10% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 1% 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 Fairhope West Elementary?
34.9% of students at Fairhope West Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fairhope West Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Fairhope West Elementary is White at 74.4% of enrollment, in Fairhope, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fairhope West Elementary?
Fairhope West Elementary 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 Fairhope West Elementary rank among public schools in Fairhope?
By Resource Investment Index, Fairhope West Elementary ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Fairhope, 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 Fairhope on the city page.
Is Fairhope West Elementary a good school?
Fairhope West Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% 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 Baldwin County?
Besides Fairhope West Elementary, Baldwin County also operates Daphne High School (1,639 students), Fairhope High School (1,536 students), and Foley High School (1,520 students). See the Baldwin 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.