Enrollment
332
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 010012001474
James L Cowart Elementary School — Athens, AL
Federal NCES profile for James L Cowart Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 56
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: Athens 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
17.5:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.4%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How James L Cowart 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
James L Cowart Elementary School reports 332 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% below the Alabama state mean of 17.8:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 10% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 61.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 4% above the Alabama average and 19% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 332 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Athens City spends $15,353 per pupil district-wide, above the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.1% from local sources (property taxes), 38.8% from the state, and 9.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), 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 L Cowart 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 | 17.5:1 | ▼ 2% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.4% | ▲ 4% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 332 | top 23% | — | — |
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
61.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 4% 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
17.5:1
students per teacher
— 2% below state mean
Top 47% in Alabama — lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
17.5%
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
$15,353
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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 332 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 332 Top 23% in Alabama — larger than 77% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 17.5:1 -2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 61.4% +4% vs state
NCES ID 010012001474
Student demographics
White 36.4%
African American 28.3%
Hispanic or Latino 27.4%
Two or More 7.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 36.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 332:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.5%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Athens City, which includes James L Cowart Elementary School.
$15,353
Per student
+6%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.1%
State 38.8%
Federal 9.1%
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
- 1,278
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 935
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Enrollment
- 641
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Enrollment
- 474
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
Similar elementary schools in Athens
2 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 James L Cowart Elementary School
How many students attend James L Cowart Elementary School?
James L Cowart Elementary School has 332 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Athens, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at James L Cowart Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at James L Cowart Elementary School is 17.5:1, which is 2% lower than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at James L Cowart Elementary School?
61.4% of students at James L Cowart Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of James L Cowart Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at James L Cowart Elementary School is White at 36.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Athens, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for James L Cowart Elementary School?
James L Cowart Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) 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.