Enrollment
778
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 010303001175
Helena Elementary School — Helena, AL
Federal NCES profile for Helena Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 24
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 73
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: Shelby 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)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+6% 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
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
Helena Elementary School reports 778 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 46.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% 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 19% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 25.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 56% below the Alabama average and 50% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 778 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 10.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Shelby County spends $12,606 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.9% from local sources (property taxes), 51.9% from the state, and 9.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), 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 Helena 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 | 18.9:1 | ▲ 6% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.9% | ▼ 56% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 778 | top 85% | — | — |
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
25.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 56% 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
18.9:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 71% in Alabama — lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
10.9%
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
$12,606
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
Counselors1.0 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
Enrollment 778 Top 85% in Alabama — larger than 15% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 46.0
Students per teacher 18.9:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 25.9% -56% vs state
NCES ID 010303001175
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 778:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 10.9%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Shelby County, which includes Helena Elementary School.
$12,606
Per student
-13%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,648
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,383
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,235
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,168
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 1,018
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
Similar elementary schools in Helena
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 Helena Elementary School
How many students attend Helena Elementary School?
Helena Elementary School has 778 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Helena, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Helena Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Helena Elementary School is 18.9:1, which is 6% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Helena, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Helena Elementary School?
Helena Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) 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.