Enrollment
927
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Gulf Shores, AL
Gulf Shores High School
Federal NCES profile for Gulf Shores High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 010020202473
👥 S:T ratio 26
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 7
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gulf Shores High School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Gulf Shores · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.5:1
- students per teacher
- 33.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Gulf Shores High School has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gulf Shores High School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Gulf Shores, AL.
School address
District: Gulf Shores City · Alabama
NCES ID 010020202473 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.0%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gulf Shores High School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gulf Shores High School
Gulf Shores High School is a large high school in Gulf Shores, Alabama, enrolling 927 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 33.0% free-meal eligibility runs 44% below the Alabama average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Alabama, bigger than 91% of state schools at 927 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 165 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #62.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 11 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 464 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
13.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Discipline events run high: 201 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 927 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Gulf Shores City also operates Gulf Shores Elementary School (1,230 students) and Gulf Shores Middle School (591 students) alongside Gulf Shores High 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 Gulf Shores High School compares
Gulf Shores High 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 | 18.5:1 | ▲ 5% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.0% | ▼ 44% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 927 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
927
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% 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
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 66% in Alabama - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
13.5%
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
$11,463
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 464 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
123
in-school suspensions + 78 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.7 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 80.5%
Hispanic or Latino 8.4%
African American 5.6%
Two or More 2.7%
Asian 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.3%
Largest group: White at 80.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.1, Gulf Shores High School is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gulf Shores City, which includes Gulf Shores High School.
$11,463
Per student
-8%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Gulf Shores High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gulf Shores Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gulf Shores Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gulf Shores High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,230
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 591
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar high 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 (~927 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gulf Shores High School's federal record.
- Compare Gulf Shores High School against another school. Compare schools
- Gulf Shores 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 Gulf Shores High School
How many students attend Gulf Shores High School?
Gulf Shores High School has 927 students enrolled. It is a high school in Gulf Shores, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gulf Shores High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gulf Shores High School is 18.5:1, which is 5% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gulf Shores High School?
33.0% of students at Gulf Shores High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gulf Shores High School?
The largest demographic group at Gulf Shores High School is White at 80.5% of enrollment, in Gulf Shores, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gulf Shores High School?
Gulf Shores High School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Gulf Shores High School rank among public schools in Gulf Shores?
By Resource Investment Index, Gulf Shores High School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Gulf Shores, 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 Gulf Shores on the city page.
Is Gulf Shores High School a good school?
Gulf Shores High School earns 45/100 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 Gulf Shores City?
Besides Gulf Shores High School, Gulf Shores City also operates Gulf Shores Elementary School (1,230 students) and Gulf Shores Middle School (591 students). See the Gulf Shores 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.