Enrollment
455
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 010270001547
Lakewood Elementary School — Phenix City, AL
Federal NCES profile for Lakewood Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 3
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 78
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: Phenix 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.3:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.0%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lakewood 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
Lakewood Elementary School reports 455 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 24.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 37% 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 53% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 41.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 30% below the Alabama average and 21% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 910 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 9.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Phenix City spends $13,713 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.1% from local sources (property taxes), 57.8% from the state, and 23.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Lakewood 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 | 24.3:1 | ▲ 37% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.0% | ▼ 30% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 455 | top 46% | — | — |
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
41.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 30% below the Alabama average of 58.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
24.3:1
students per teacher
— 37% above state mean
Top 98% in Alabama — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
9.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$13,713
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 910 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
33
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 455 Top 46% in Alabama — larger than 54% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 24.3:1 +37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 41.0% -30% vs state
NCES ID 010270001547
Student demographics
White 48.6%
African American 30.1%
Hispanic or Latino 9.9%
Two or More 8.8%
Asian 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 48.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 910:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 9.0%
In-school suspensions 33
Out-of-school suspensions 28
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Phenix City, which includes Lakewood Elementary School.
$13,713
Per student
-5%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.1%
State 57.8%
Federal 23.2%
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
- 1,579
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,068
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 722
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 683
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
Similar elementary schools in Phenix City
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 Lakewood Elementary School
How many students attend Lakewood Elementary School?
Lakewood Elementary School has 455 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Phenix City, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lakewood Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lakewood Elementary School is 24.3:1, which is 37% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 53% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lakewood Elementary School?
41.0% of students at Lakewood Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lakewood Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Lakewood Elementary School is White at 48.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Phenix City, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lakewood Elementary School?
Lakewood Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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.