Enrollment
492
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Skipperville, AL
Gw Long Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Gw Long Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010105000281
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 2
📋 Attendance 68
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gw Long Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median.
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.6:1
- students per teacher
- 52.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 492
- students enrolled
Gw Long Elementary School has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Dale County · Alabama
NCES ID 010105000281 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.8%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gw Long Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gw Long Elementary School
Gw Long Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Skipperville, Alabama, enrolling 492 students.
At 17.6:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 52.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 492 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 443 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #146.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and African American (10%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 492 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
13.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Skipperville's public schools, it stands alongside George W Long High School (377 students): Gw Long Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.6:1 vs 17.1:1).
Dale County also operates Ariton School (887 students) and Midland City Elementary School (478 students) alongside Gw Long Elementary 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 Gw Long Elementary School compares
Gw Long Elementary 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 | 17.6:1 | ▼ 1% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.8% | ▼ 10% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 492 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.6:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
492
Bigger than 61% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% below the Alabama average of 58.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.6:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 54% in Alabama - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
13.0%
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
$11,476
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 492 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 79.1%
African American 10.4%
Two or More 4.5%
Hispanic or Latino 4.1%
Asian 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 79.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.0, Gw Long Elementary School is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dale County, which includes Gw Long Elementary School.
$11,476
Per student
-8%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.9%
State 64.6%
Federal 13.5%
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 Gw Long Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ariton School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Midland City Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dale County High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Dale Middle School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| George W Long High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gw Long Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 887
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 478
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 437
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 412
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 377
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar other schools in Skipperville
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 (~492 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gw Long Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Gw Long Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Dale 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 Gw Long Elementary School
How many students attend Gw Long Elementary School?
Gw Long Elementary School has 492 students enrolled. It is a public school in Skipperville, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gw Long Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gw Long Elementary School is 17.6:1, which is 1% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 12% 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 Gw Long Elementary School?
52.8% of students at Gw Long Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gw Long Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Gw Long Elementary School is White at 79.1% of enrollment, in Skipperville, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gw Long Elementary School?
Gw Long Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Gw Long Elementary School a good school?
Gw Long Elementary School earns 42/100 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 Dale County?
Besides Gw Long Elementary School, Dale County also operates Ariton School (887 students), Midland City Elementary School (478 students), and Dale County High School (437 students). See the Dale 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.