Enrollment
447
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 010180000650
James Dawson Elementary — Huntsville, AL
Federal NCES profile for James Dawson Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 9
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 11
📋 Attendance 23
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: Huntsville City · 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)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.7:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.9%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How James Dawson Elementary 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
James Dawson Elementary reports 447 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% 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 43% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 81.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 39% above the Alabama average and 58% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 447 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Huntsville City spends $13,040 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 43.6% from local sources (property taxes), 39.2% 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 28/100 (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 James Dawson Elementary 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 | 22.7:1 | ▲ 28% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.9% | ▲ 39% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 447 | top 44% | — | — |
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
81.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 39% above the Alabama average of 58.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
22.7:1
students per teacher
— 28% above state mean
Top 96% in Alabama — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
30.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,040
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 447 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 46 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 447 Top 44% in Alabama — larger than 56% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 22.7:1 +28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 81.9% +39% vs state
NCES ID 010180000650
Student demographics
African American 69.6%
Hispanic or Latino 17.9%
White 5.8%
Two or More 4.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 69.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 447:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.9%
In-school suspensions 29
Out-of-school suspensions 46
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Huntsville City, which includes James Dawson Elementary.
$13,040
Per student
-10%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 43.6%
State 39.2%
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
- 1,847
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 1,807
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,152
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 935
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 916
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
Similar other schools in Huntsville
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Providence Elementary
Standard public school
1,152 students 18:1 students per teacher
Mt Carmel Elementary School
Standard public school
638 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Central School
Standard public school
610 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Monrovia Elementary School
Standard public school
600 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
Blossomwood Elementary School
Standard public school
596 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Riverton Elementary School
Standard public school
596 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
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 James Dawson Elementary
How many students attend James Dawson Elementary?
James Dawson Elementary has 447 students enrolled. It is a other school in Huntsville, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at James Dawson Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at James Dawson Elementary is 22.7:1, which is 28% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 43% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at James Dawson Elementary?
81.9% of students at James Dawson Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of James Dawson Elementary?
The largest demographic group at James Dawson Elementary is African American at 69.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Huntsville, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for James Dawson Elementary?
James Dawson Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (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.