Enrollment
437
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 010042001870
Hayden Middle School — Hayden, AL
Federal NCES profile for Hayden Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 8
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 89
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: Blount County · 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.3%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hayden Middle 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
Hayden Middle School reports 437 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 29% above the Alabama state mean of 17.8:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 44% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.3% 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 291 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 4.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Blount County spends $12,601 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.4% from local sources (property taxes), 63.4% from the state, and 17.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-), 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 Hayden Middle 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 | 22.9:1 | ▲ 29% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.3% | ▼ 33% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 437 | top 43% | — | — |
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
39.3%
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
22.9:1
students per teacher
— 29% above state mean
Top 97% in Alabama — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
4.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$12,601
per pupil, district-wide
— below Alabama avg of $14,500
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 291 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
53
in-school suspensions + 38 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 437 Top 43% in Alabama — larger than 57% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 22.9:1 +29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.3% -33% vs state
NCES ID 010042001870
Student demographics
White 94.3%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
African American 1.8%
Two or More 1.8%
Largest group: White at 94.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.5
Students per counselor 291:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 4.6%
In-school suspensions 53
Out-of-school suspensions 38
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Blount County, which includes Hayden Middle School.
$12,601
Per student
-13%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.4%
State 63.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 822
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 798
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 699
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 648
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 582
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
Similar elementary schools in Hayden
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Hayden Middle School
How many students attend Hayden Middle School?
Hayden Middle School has 437 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Hayden, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hayden Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Hayden Middle School is 22.9:1, which is 29% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 44% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hayden Middle School?
39.3% of students at Hayden Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hayden Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Hayden Middle School is White at 94.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Hayden, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hayden Middle School?
Hayden Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) 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.