Enrollment
413
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Marion, AL
Francis Marion School
Federal NCES profile for Francis Marion School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010267001734
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Francis Marion School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of Alabama schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Alabama schools.
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.5:1
- small classes for Alabama
- 89.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 413
- students enrolled
Francis Marion School has class sizes smaller than 96% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.2%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Francis Marion School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Francis Marion School
Francis Marion School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Marion, Alabama, enrolling 413 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.5:1, Francis Marion School is leaner than roughly 96% of Alabama schools and 29% under the state's 17.7:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 89.2% of students qualify for free meals, 52% above the Alabama average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 413 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 187 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #39.
Its student body is predominantly African American (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 275 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 61.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Perry County spends $15,116 per pupil, 21% above the Alabama average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 32.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Marion's public schools, it stands alongside Breakthrough Charter School (375 students): Francis Marion School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.5:1 vs 75:1).
Its district, Perry County, also runs Robert C Hatch High School (402 students).
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 Francis Marion School compares
Francis Marion 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 | 12.5:1 | ▼ 29% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.2% | ▲ 52% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 413 | top 61% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
413
Bigger than 49% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
89.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% above the Alabama average of 58.8%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 29% below state mean
Top 4% in Alabama - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
61.0%
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
$15,116
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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 275 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 81 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.9 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
African American 97.6%
Two or More 1.2%
White 1.0%
Hispanic or Latino 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 97.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 4.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 4.7, Francis Marion School is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Perry County, which includes Francis Marion School.
$15,116
Per student
+21%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.3%
State 53.7%
Federal 32.0%
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 Francis Marion School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert C Hatch High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Francis Marion School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 402
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar other schools in Marion
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 (~413 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Francis Marion School's federal record.
- Compare Francis Marion School against another school. Compare schools
- Perry 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 Francis Marion School
How many students attend Francis Marion School?
Francis Marion School has 413 students enrolled. It is a public school in Marion, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Francis Marion School?
The student-teacher ratio at Francis Marion School is 12.5:1, which is 29% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 20% lower 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 Francis Marion School?
89.2% of students at Francis Marion School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Francis Marion School?
The largest demographic group at Francis Marion School is African American at 97.6% of enrollment, in Marion, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Francis Marion School?
Francis Marion School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Francis Marion School a good school?
Francis Marion School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of Alabama schools. It is also less 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 Perry County?
Besides Francis Marion School, Perry County also operates Robert C Hatch High School (402 students). See the Perry 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.