Enrollment
240
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bear Creek, AL
Phillips Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Phillips Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010231001455
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 19
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Phillips Elementary School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Alabama schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Alabama schools.
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15:1
- small classes for Alabama
- 69.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 240
- students enrolled
Phillips Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 83% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Marion County · Alabama
NCES ID 010231001455 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.3%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Phillips Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Phillips Elementary School
Phillips Elementary School is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Bear Creek, Alabama, enrolling 240 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15:1 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 69.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 240 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Among 153 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Alabama schools statewide, it ranks #134, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 480 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
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 Bear Creek's public schools, it stands alongside Phillips High School (200 students): Phillips Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15:1 vs 14.3:1).
Marion County also operates Hamilton Elementary School (638 students) and Hamilton Middle School (463 students) alongside Phillips 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 Phillips Elementary School compares
Phillips 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 | 15:1 | ▼ 15% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.3% | ▲ 18% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 240 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15:1
Leaner classes than 47% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
240
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
69.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% 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
15:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 17% in Alabama - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
32.5%
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
$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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.4 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 93.8%
Hispanic or Latino 5.4%
Two or More 0.8%
Largest group: White at 93.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.7, Phillips 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 Marion County, which includes Phillips Elementary 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 Phillips Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hamilton Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hamilton High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Guin Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hackleburg High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Phillips Elementary 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 Bear Creek
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.
Similar enrollment (~240 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Phillips Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Phillips Elementary 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 Phillips Elementary School
How many students attend Phillips Elementary School?
Phillips Elementary School has 240 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bear Creek, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Phillips Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Phillips Elementary School is 15:1, which is 15% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 4% 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 Phillips Elementary School?
69.3% of students at Phillips Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Phillips Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Phillips Elementary School is White at 93.8% of enrollment, in Bear Creek, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Phillips Elementary School?
Phillips Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Phillips Elementary School a good school?
Phillips Elementary School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Alabama schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Marion County?
Besides Phillips Elementary 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.