Enrollment
349
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Decatur, AL
Julian Harris Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Julian Harris Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010117001728
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Julian Harris Elementary School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Alabama schools.
- #3 of 11
- schools in Decatur · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.6:1
- students per teacher
- 59.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Julian Harris Elementary School has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Julian Harris Elementary School ranks #3 of 11 schools in Decatur, AL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.1%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Julian Harris Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Julian Harris Elementary School
Scale and staffing sit near the state mainstream
Julian Harris Elementary School is neither an extreme outlier in enrollment nor in student-teacher ratio among Alabama schools. Its profile therefore turns on the other dimensions rather than on scale alone: economic need, counselor coverage, program access, attendance, and district finance. This middle placement is useful because it prevents the campus from being mislabeled as unusually large, small, crowded, or teacher-dense when the federal comparison does not support that claim.
Resource indicators are the standout signal
Julian Harris Elementary School's economic-need measure is not at a state extreme, while its Resource Investment Index is. The campus outranks most Alabama schools on the combined reported-resource measure, so the differentiator comes from staffing, counselor access, gifted programming, or attendance rather than from an unusually low-need population alone. The component breakdown identifies which inputs actually produce that placement.
A combined-grade campus has a different support burden
Julian Harris Elementary School serves a combined grade span rather than a conventional elementary, middle, or high-school band. That structure can require the same campus to cover transitions, counseling needs, and programs for students at substantially different developmental stages, so a single staffing ratio deserves more caution than it would at a narrower-grade school. Federal totals show the available people and programs, but not how those resources are divided among grade levels.
Julian Harris Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Decatur, Alabama, enrolling 349 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 16.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 59.1% lands close to the Alabama typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 349 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 350 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #76.
Its student body is led by White (38%) and African American (38%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 349 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Decatur's public schools, it stands alongside Austin Junior High School (664 students): Julian Harris Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.6:1 vs 14.4:1).
Decatur City also operates Austin High School (999 students) and Decatur High School (915 students) alongside Julian Harris 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 Julian Harris Elementary School compares
Julian Harris 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 | 16.6:1 | ▼ 6% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.1% | ▲ 1% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 349 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.6:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
349
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% 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
16.6:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 37% in Alabama - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,764
per pupil, district-wide
- above Alabama avg of $12,491
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 349 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
32
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
White 38.4%
African American 37.8%
Two or More 10.3%
Hispanic or Latino 9.5%
Asian 3.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 38.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.9, Julian Harris Elementary School is more mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Decatur City, which includes Julian Harris Elementary School.
$13,764
Per student
+10%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.5%
State 47.0%
Federal 13.5%
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 Julian Harris Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Decatur High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Decatur Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Austin Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Austin Junior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Julian Harris Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 999
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 915
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 818
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 727
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 664
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar other schools in Decatur
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Austin Junior High School
Standard public school
664 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Oak Park Elementary School
Standard public school
481 students 16:1 students per teacher
Bankscaddell Elementary School
Standard public school
477 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Austinville Elementary School
Standard public school
463 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Chestnut Grove Elementary School
Standard public school
436 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Frances Nungester Elementary School
Standard public school
428 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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 (~349 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Julian Harris Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Julian Harris Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Decatur City'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 Julian Harris Elementary School
How many students attend Julian Harris Elementary School?
Julian Harris Elementary School has 349 students enrolled. It is a public school in Decatur, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Julian Harris Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Julian Harris Elementary School is 16.6:1, which is 6% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 6% 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 Julian Harris Elementary School?
59.1% of students at Julian Harris Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Julian Harris Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Julian Harris Elementary School is White at 38.4% of enrollment, in Decatur, AL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Julian Harris Elementary School?
Julian Harris Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Julian Harris Elementary School rank among schools in Decatur?
By Resource Investment Index, Julian Harris Elementary School ranks #3 of 11 schools in Decatur, AL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Decatur on the city page.
What other schools are in Decatur City?
Besides Julian Harris Elementary School, Decatur City also operates Austin High School (999 students), Decatur High School (915 students), and Decatur Middle School (818 students). See the Decatur City 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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026.