Enrollment
634
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Rainbow City, AL
Rainbow Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Rainbow Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 010138001508
👥 S:T ratio 21
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 63
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rainbow Middle School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Alabama schools.
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.8:1
- large classes for Alabama
- 41.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 634
- students enrolled
Rainbow Middle School has class sizes larger than 82% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Etowah County · Alabama
NCES ID 010138001508 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.8:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.1%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rainbow Middle School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rainbow Middle School
Rainbow Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Rainbow City, Alabama, enrolling 634 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 19.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 41.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 634 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 313 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #175.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and African American (8%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 634 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
15.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 18.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 129 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 634 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Etowah County also operates Southside High School (825 students) and John S Jones Elementary School (745 students) alongside Rainbow Middle 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 Rainbow Middle School compares
Rainbow Middle 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 | 19.8:1 | ▲ 12% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.1% | ▼ 30% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 634 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.8:1
Leaner classes than 17% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
634
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
19.8:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 82% in Alabama - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
15.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,738
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 634 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
67
in-school suspensions + 62 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 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 79.0%
African American 8.2%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
Two or More 5.0%
Asian 2.5%
Largest group: White at 79.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.3, Rainbow Middle School is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Etowah County, which includes Rainbow Middle School.
$10,738
Per student
-14%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.7%
State 64.9%
Federal 18.3%
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 Rainbow Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southside High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| John S Jones Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hokes Bluff Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Southside Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sardis High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rainbow Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 825
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 745
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 610
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 585
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 546
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
Similar middle 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 (~634 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rainbow Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Rainbow Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Etowah 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 Rainbow Middle School
How many students attend Rainbow Middle School?
Rainbow Middle School has 634 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Rainbow City, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rainbow Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Rainbow Middle School is 19.8:1, which is 12% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 26% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Rainbow Middle School?
41.1% of students at Rainbow Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rainbow Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Rainbow Middle School is White at 79.0% of enrollment, in Rainbow City, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rainbow Middle School?
Rainbow Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Rainbow Middle School a good school?
Rainbow Middle School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% 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 Etowah County?
Besides Rainbow Middle School, Etowah County also operates Southside High School (825 students), John S Jones Elementary School (745 students), and Hokes Bluff Elementary School (610 students). See the Etowah 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.