Enrollment
935
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Big Cove, AL
Goldsmithschiffman Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Goldsmithschiffman Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010180002173
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 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
Goldsmithschiffman Elementary earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median.
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18:1
- students per teacher
- 11.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 935
- students enrolled
Goldsmithschiffman Elementary has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Huntsville City · Alabama
NCES ID 010180002173 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.2%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-81% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Goldsmithschiffman Elementary compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Goldsmithschiffman Elementary
Goldsmithschiffman Elementary is a lower-poverty, large combined-grade school in Big Cove, Alabama, enrolling 935 students.
At 18:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Alabama median, within a few percentage points of the 17.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 11.2% free-meal eligibility runs 81% below the Alabama average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Alabama, bigger than 91% of state schools at 935 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 52 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #30.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (7%) (diversity index 39/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 935 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.8% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 17.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Huntsville City also operates Virgil Grissom High School (1,847 students) and Huntsville High School (1,807 students) alongside Goldsmithschiffman 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 Goldsmithschiffman Elementary compares
Goldsmithschiffman 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 | 18:1 | ▲ 2% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.2% | ▼ 81% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 935 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
935
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
11.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 81% 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
18:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 60% in Alabama - lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,033
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 935 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 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 77.5%
Hispanic or Latino 7.2%
Two or More 7.2%
African American 4.5%
Asian 3.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 77.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.6, Goldsmithschiffman Elementary is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Huntsville City, which includes Goldsmithschiffman Elementary.
$12,033
Per student
-4%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.6%
State 39.2%
Federal 17.2%
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 Goldsmithschiffman Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virgil Grissom High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Huntsville High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Providence Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Columbia High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lee High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Goldsmithschiffman Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,847
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,807
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,152
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 916
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 877
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~935 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Goldsmithschiffman Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Goldsmithschiffman Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Huntsville 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 Goldsmithschiffman Elementary
How many students attend Goldsmithschiffman Elementary?
Goldsmithschiffman Elementary has 935 students enrolled. It is a public school in Big Cove, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Goldsmithschiffman Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Goldsmithschiffman Elementary is 18:1, which is 2% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Goldsmithschiffman Elementary?
11.2% of students at Goldsmithschiffman Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Goldsmithschiffman Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Goldsmithschiffman Elementary is White at 77.5% of enrollment, in Big Cove, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Goldsmithschiffman Elementary?
Goldsmithschiffman Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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).
Is Goldsmithschiffman Elementary a good school?
Goldsmithschiffman Elementary earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median. 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 Huntsville City?
Besides Goldsmithschiffman Elementary, Huntsville City also operates Virgil Grissom High School (1,847 students), Huntsville High School (1,807 students), and Providence Elementary (1,152 students). See the Huntsville 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.