Enrollment
15
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Hamilton, AL
Marion County Alternative School
Federal NCES profile for Marion County Alternative School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010231000985
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Marion County Alternative School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the smallest schools in Alabama.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Hamilton · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 60.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 15
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Marion County Alternative School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Hamilton, AL.
School address
District: Marion County · Alabama
NCES ID 010231000985 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
60.0%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+2% vs state
What stands out at Marion County Alternative School
Marion County Alternative School is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Hamilton, Alabama, enrolling 15 students.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 60.0% lands close to the Alabama typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 99% of Alabama schools, with 15 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Its district draws 19.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Hamilton's public schools, it stands alongside Hamilton Elementary School (638 students): Marion County Alternative School is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Marion County also operates Hamilton Elementary School (638 students) and Hamilton Middle School (463 students) alongside Marion County Alternative 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 Marion County Alternative School compares
Marion County Alternative School on the metrics families compare, against Alabama and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alabama | Alabama avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.0% | ▲ 2% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 15 | top 100% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15
Bigger than 2% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% above the Alabama average of 58.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Funding equity
$11,121
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Marion County, which includes Marion County Alternative School.
$11,121
Per student
-11%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.2%
State 59.0%
Federal 19.8%
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 Marion County Alternative School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Hamilton Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Hamilton High School | Larger | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Guin Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Hackleburg High School | Larger | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Marion County Alternative School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 638
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 463
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 449
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 308
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 265
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other schools in Hamilton
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Marion County Alternative School's federal record.
- Compare Marion County Alternative School against another school. Compare schools
- Marion County'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 Marion County Alternative School
How many students attend Marion County Alternative School?
Marion County Alternative School has 15 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Hamilton, AL.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Marion County Alternative School?
60.0% of students at Marion County Alternative School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Marion County Alternative School?
Marion County Alternative School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 1 factor: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Marion County Alternative School rank among public schools in Hamilton?
By Resource Investment Index, Marion County Alternative School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Hamilton, 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 Hamilton on the city page.
Is Marion County Alternative School a good school?
Marion County Alternative School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the smallest schools in Alabama. 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 Marion County?
Besides Marion County Alternative School, Marion County also operates Hamilton Elementary School (638 students), Hamilton Middle School (463 students), and Hamilton High School (449 students). See the Marion County 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.