Enrollment
792
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Fort Payne, AL
Little Ridge Intermediate School
Federal NCES profile for Little Ridge Intermediate School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 010156002518
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Little Ridge Intermediate School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Fort Payne · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.4:1
- students per teacher
- 70.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Little Ridge Intermediate School has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Little Ridge Intermediate School ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Fort Payne, AL.
School address
District: Fort Payne City · Alabama
NCES ID 010156002518 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.0%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Little Ridge Intermediate School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Little Ridge Intermediate School
Little Ridge Intermediate School is a higher-need, large elementary school in Fort Payne, Alabama, enrolling 792 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 70.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 792 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 267 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #54.
Its student body is led by White (51%) and Hispanic or Latino (41%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 528 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 19.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Fort Payne City also operates Fort Payne High School (1,106 students) and Fort Payne Middle School (741 students) alongside Little Ridge Intermediate 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 Little Ridge Intermediate School compares
Little Ridge Intermediate 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 | 18.4:1 | ▲ 4% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.0% | ▲ 19% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 792 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.4:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
792
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
70.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 19% 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
18.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 65% in Alabama - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$10,433
per pupil, district-wide
- below Alabama avg of $12,491
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 528 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 51.0%
Hispanic or Latino 40.5%
Two or More 3.8%
African American 3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 51.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.3, Little Ridge Intermediate School is more mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fort Payne City, which includes Little Ridge Intermediate School.
$10,433
Per student
-16%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.8%
State 60.1%
Federal 19.1%
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.
How Little Ridge Intermediate School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Payne High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Fort Payne Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wills Valley Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Williams Avenue Elementary School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Little Ridge Intermediate School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,106
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 741
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 738
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 131
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar elementary 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 (~792 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Little Ridge Intermediate School's federal record.
- Compare Little Ridge Intermediate School against another school. Compare schools
- Fort Payne 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 Little Ridge Intermediate School
How many students attend Little Ridge Intermediate School?
Little Ridge Intermediate School has 792 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Fort Payne, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Little Ridge Intermediate School?
The student-teacher ratio at Little Ridge Intermediate School is 18.4:1, which is 4% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Little Ridge Intermediate School?
70.0% of students at Little Ridge Intermediate School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Little Ridge Intermediate School?
The largest demographic group at Little Ridge Intermediate School is White at 51.0% of enrollment, in Fort Payne, AL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Little Ridge Intermediate School?
Little Ridge Intermediate School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Little Ridge Intermediate School rank among public schools in Fort Payne?
By Resource Investment Index, Little Ridge Intermediate School ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Fort Payne, AL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Fort Payne on the city page.
Is Little Ridge Intermediate School a good school?
Little Ridge Intermediate School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Fort Payne City?
Besides Little Ridge Intermediate School, Fort Payne City also operates Fort Payne High School (1,106 students), Fort Payne Middle School (741 students), and Wills Valley Elementary School (738 students). See the Fort Payne 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, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.