Enrollment
263
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Huntsville, AL
Monte Sano Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Monte Sano Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 66/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010180000639
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 86
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Monte Sano Elementary School earns 66/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of Alabama schools.
- #1 of 29
- schools in Huntsville · Resource Index
- 66
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.6:1
- small classes for Alabama
- 10.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Monte Sano Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 87% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Monte Sano Elementary School ranks #1 of 29 schools in Huntsville, AL.
School address
District: Huntsville City · Alabama
NCES ID 010180000639 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.3%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-82% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Monte Sano Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Monte Sano Elementary School
Monte Sano Elementary School is a lower-poverty, small combined-grade school in Huntsville, Alabama, enrolling 263 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 14.6:1, Monte Sano Elementary School is leaner than roughly 87% of Alabama schools and 18% under the state's 17.7:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 10.3% free-meal eligibility runs 82% below the Alabama average.
Enrollment of 263 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 1,365 Alabama schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 5.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 17.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Huntsville's public schools, it stands alongside Providence Elementary (1,152 students): Monte Sano Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.6:1 vs 24.5:1).
Huntsville City also operates Virgil Grissom High School (1,847 students) and Huntsville High School (1,807 students) alongside Monte Sano 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 Monte Sano Elementary School compares
Monte Sano 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 | 14.6:1 | ▼ 18% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.3% | ▼ 82% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 263 | top 86% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.6:1
Leaner classes than 51% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
263
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
10.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 82% below the Alabama average of 58.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.6:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 13% in Alabama - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
5.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,033
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.
Student demographics
White 82.5%
African American 8.0%
Two or More 5.7%
Hispanic or Latino 2.7%
Asian 1.1%
Largest group: White at 82.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 30.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 30.9, Monte Sano Elementary School is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Huntsville City, which includes Monte Sano Elementary School.
$12,033
Per student
-4%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.6%
State 39.2%
Federal 17.2%
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.
How Monte Sano Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virgil Grissom High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Huntsville High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Providence Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Goldsmithschiffman Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Columbia High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Monte Sano Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,847
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,807
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,152
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 935
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 916
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar other schools in Huntsville
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Providence Elementary
Standard public school
1,152 students 24.5:1 students per teacher
Mt Carmel Elementary School
Standard public school
638 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Central School
Standard public school
610 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Monrovia Elementary School
Standard public school
600 students 21.4:1 students per teacher
Blossomwood Elementary School
Standard public school
596 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Riverton Elementary School
Standard public school
596 students 19.2:1 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 (~263 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Monte Sano Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Monte Sano Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Huntsville 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 Monte Sano Elementary School
How many students attend Monte Sano Elementary School?
Monte Sano Elementary School has 263 students enrolled. It is a public school in Huntsville, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Monte Sano Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Monte Sano Elementary School is 14.6:1, which is 18% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 7% lower 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 Monte Sano Elementary School?
10.3% of students at Monte Sano Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Monte Sano Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Monte Sano Elementary School is White at 82.5% of enrollment, in Huntsville, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Monte Sano Elementary School?
Monte Sano Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 66/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Monte Sano Elementary School rank among schools in Huntsville?
By Resource Investment Index, Monte Sano Elementary School ranks #1 of 29 schools in Huntsville, AL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Huntsville on the city page.
Is Monte Sano Elementary School a good school?
Monte Sano Elementary School earns 66/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of Alabama schools. 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 Huntsville City?
Besides Monte Sano Elementary School, Huntsville City also operates Virgil Grissom High School (1,847 students), Huntsville High School (1,807 students), and Providence Elementary (1,152 students). See the Huntsville 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.