Enrollment
446
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 010312002100
Nicholslawson Middle School — Sylacauga, AL
Federal NCES profile for Nicholslawson Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 38
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: Sylacauga 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.2%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nicholslawson Middle 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
Nicholslawson Middle School reports 446 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% below the Alabama state mean of 17.8:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 63.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 7% above the Alabama average and 22% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 223 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sylacauga City spends $12,716 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.5% from local sources (property taxes), 53.5% from the state, and 23.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Nicholslawson Middle 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 | 15.5:1 | ▼ 13% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.2% | ▲ 7% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 446 | top 44% | — | — |
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
63.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 7% 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
15.5:1
students per teacher
— 13% below state mean
Top 17% in Alabama — lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.7%
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
$12,716
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 223 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
173
in-school suspensions + 50 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 38.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 50.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 446 Top 44% in Alabama — larger than 56% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 15.5:1 -13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 63.2% +7% vs state
NCES ID 010312002100
Student demographics
White 48.2%
African American 40.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.8%
Two or More 4.9%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 48.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 223:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.7%
In-school suspensions 173
Out-of-school suspensions 50
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sylacauga City, which includes Nicholslawson Middle School.
$12,716
Per student
-12%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 23.5%
State 53.5%
Federal 23.0%
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
- 627
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 477
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Enrollment
- 426
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
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 Nicholslawson Middle School
How many students attend Nicholslawson Middle School?
Nicholslawson Middle School has 446 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Sylacauga, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nicholslawson Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Nicholslawson Middle School is 15.5:1, which is 13% lower than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Nicholslawson Middle School?
63.2% of students at Nicholslawson Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nicholslawson Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Nicholslawson Middle School is White at 48.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Sylacauga, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nicholslawson Middle School?
Nicholslawson Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) 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.