Enrollment
778
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Helena, AL
Helena Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Helena Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 010303001175
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Helena Elementary School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Helena · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.9:1
- students per teacher
- 25.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Helena Elementary School has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Helena Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Helena, AL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.9%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Helena Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Helena Elementary School
Helena Elementary School is a large elementary school in Helena, Alabama, enrolling 778 students.
At 16.9:1, 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, 25.9% free-meal eligibility runs 56% below the Alabama average.
Enrollment of 778 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Among 134 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Alabama schools statewide, it ranks #107, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and African American (13%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 778 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Helena's elementary schools, it stands alongside Helena Intermediate School (955 students): Helena Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.9:1 vs 21.2:1).
Shelby County also operates Oak Mountain High School (1,648 students) and Helena High School (1,383 students) alongside Helena 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 Helena Elementary School compares
Helena 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 | 16.9:1 | ▼ 5% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.9% | ▼ 56% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 778 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.9:1
Leaner classes than 31% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
778
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% 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
16.9:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 42% in Alabama - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
10.9%
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
$11,253
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 778 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 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 72.0%
African American 12.7%
Hispanic or Latino 10.2%
Asian 2.7%
Two or More 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 72.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.4, Helena Elementary School is more mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Shelby County, which includes Helena Elementary School.
$11,253
Per student
-10%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.9%
State 51.9%
Federal 9.2%
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 Helena Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Mountain High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Helena High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chelsea High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Oak Mountain Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Calera High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Helena Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,648
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,383
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,235
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,168
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,018
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar elementary schools in Helena
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~778 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Helena Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Helena Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Shelby 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 Helena Elementary School
How many students attend Helena Elementary School?
Helena Elementary School has 778 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Helena, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Helena Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Helena Elementary School is 16.9:1, which is 5% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 8% 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 Helena Elementary School?
25.9% of students at Helena Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Helena Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Helena Elementary School is White at 72.0% of enrollment, in Helena, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Helena Elementary School?
Helena Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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).
How does Helena Elementary School rank among public schools in Helena?
By Resource Investment Index, Helena Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Helena, 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 Helena on the city page.
Is Helena Elementary School a good school?
Helena Elementary School earns 34/100 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 Shelby County?
Besides Helena Elementary School, Shelby County also operates Oak Mountain High School (1,648 students), Helena High School (1,383 students), and Chelsea High School (1,235 students). See the Shelby 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.