Enrollment
286
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 010358001360
Meek High School — Arley, AL
Federal NCES profile for Meek High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 20
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 36
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: Winston County · 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)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.6%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Meek High 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
Meek High School reports 286 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% 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 26% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 7% below the Alabama average and 5% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 286 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Winston County spends $14,375 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.0% from local sources (property taxes), 56.4% from the state, and 16.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Meek High 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 | 20:1 | ▲ 12% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.6% | ▼ 7% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 286 | top 17% | — | — |
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
54.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 7% 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
20:1
students per teacher
— 12% above state mean
Top 85% in Alabama — lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,375
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 286 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 286 Top 17% in Alabama — larger than 83% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 20:1 +12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.6% -7% vs state
NCES ID 010358001360
Student demographics
White 93.0%
Two or More 3.1%
Hispanic or Latino 2.8%
African American 0.7%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 93.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 286:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.5%
In-school suspensions 9
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Winston County, which includes Meek High School.
$14,375
Per student
-1%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.0%
State 56.4%
Federal 16.6%
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
- 349
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 346
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 285
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Enrollment
- 256
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Enrollment
- 232
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
Similar other schools in Arley
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Meek High School
How many students attend Meek High School?
Meek High School has 286 students enrolled. It is a other school in Arley, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Meek High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Meek High School is 20:1, which is 12% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 26% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Meek High School?
54.6% of students at Meek High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Meek High School?
The largest demographic group at Meek High School is White at 93.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Arley, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Meek High School?
Meek High School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.