Enrollment
1,230
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 010020202469
Gulf Shores Elementary School — Gulf Shores, AL
Federal NCES profile for Gulf Shores Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 69
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Gulf Shores City · Alabama
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
62.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.1:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.4%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gulf Shores Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Gulf Shores Elementary School reports 1,230 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 62.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the Alabama state mean of 17.8:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 8% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 33% below the Alabama average and 24% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 615 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Gulf Shores City spends $16,254 per pupil district-wide, above the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 64.4% from local sources (property taxes), 24.7% from the state, and 10.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Gulf Shores Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Alabama state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Alabama | Alabama avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.1:1 | ▼ 4% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.4% | ▼ 33% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,230 | top 96% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
39.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 33% below the Alabama average of 58.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.1:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 41% in Alabama — lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
12.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,254
per pupil, district-wide
— above Alabama avg of $14,500
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 615 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
58
in-school suspensions + 54 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,230 Top 96% in Alabama — larger than 4% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 62.0
Students per teacher 17.1:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.4% -33% vs state
NCES ID 010020202469
Student demographics
White 78.9%
Hispanic or Latino 7.8%
Two or More 6.6%
African American 5.2%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 78.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 615:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.5%
In-school suspensions 58
Out-of-school suspensions 54
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gulf Shores City, which includes Gulf Shores Elementary School.
$16,254
Per student
+12%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 64.4%
State 24.7%
Federal 10.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 927
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 591
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Gulf Shores Elementary School
How many students attend Gulf Shores Elementary School?
Gulf Shores Elementary School has 1,230 students enrolled. It is a other school in Gulf Shores, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gulf Shores Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gulf Shores Elementary School is 17.1:1, which is 4% lower than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gulf Shores Elementary School?
39.4% of students at Gulf Shores Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gulf Shores Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Gulf Shores Elementary School is White at 78.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Gulf Shores, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gulf Shores Elementary School?
Gulf Shores Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.