Enrollment
1,193
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Pell City, AL
Pell City High School
Federal NCES profile for Pell City High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 010265001573
👥 S:T ratio 22
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 33
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pell City High School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Alabama schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Alabama.
- #5 of 7
- public schools in Pell City · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.6:1
- large classes for Alabama
- 50.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Pell City High School has class sizes larger than 79% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pell City High School ranks #5 of 7 public schools in Pell City, AL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
61.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.6:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.6%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pell City High School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pell City High School
Pell City High School is a higher-need, large high school in Pell City, Alabama, enrolling 1,193 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 19.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 50.6% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Alabama, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,193 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 143 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #79.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and African American (15%) (diversity index 39/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 8 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 398 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Pell City also operates Duran Junior High School (601 students) and Williams Intermediate School (598 students) alongside Pell City High 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 Pell City High School compares
Pell City High 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 | 19.6:1 | ▲ 11% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.6% | ▼ 14% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,193 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.6:1
Leaner classes than 17% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,193
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
50.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% 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
19.6:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 79% in Alabama - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,747
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 398 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
132
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
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 76.2%
African American 15.2%
Hispanic or Latino 4.7%
Two or More 2.9%
Asian 1.0%
Largest group: White at 76.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.3, Pell City High School is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
AP courses offered 8
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pell City, which includes Pell City High School.
$10,747
Per student
-14%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.2%
State 62.5%
Federal 16.2%
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 Pell City High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duran Junior High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Williams Intermediate School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Walter M Kennedy School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Coosa Valley Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Iola Roberts Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pell City High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 601
- Students per teacher
- 40.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 598
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 437
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 404
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 402
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar high 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 (~1,193 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pell City High School's federal record.
- Compare Pell City High School against another school. Compare schools
- Pell 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 Pell City High School
How many students attend Pell City High School?
Pell City High School has 1,193 students enrolled. It is a high school in Pell City, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pell City High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pell City High School is 19.6:1, which is 11% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pell City High School?
50.6% of students at Pell City High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pell City High School?
The largest demographic group at Pell City High School is White at 76.2% of enrollment, in Pell City, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pell City High School?
Pell City High School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Pell City High School rank among public schools in Pell City?
By Resource Investment Index, Pell City High School ranks #5 of 7 public schools in Pell City, 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 Pell City on the city page.
Is Pell City High School a good school?
Pell City High School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Alabama schools. It is also one of the largest 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 Pell City?
Besides Pell City High School, Pell City also operates Duran Junior High School (601 students), Williams Intermediate School (598 students), and Walter M Kennedy School (437 students). See the Pell 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.