Enrollment
557
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 010018502427
Saraland Early Education Center — Saraland, AL
Federal NCES profile for Saraland Early Education Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 30/100.
👥 Class size 25
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 65
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: Saraland 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.9%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Saraland Early Education Center 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
Saraland Early Education Center reports 557 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% above the Alabama state mean of 17.8:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 18% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 44.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 24% below the Alabama average and 13% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 557 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Saraland City spends $15,498 per pupil district-wide, above the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.8% from local sources (property taxes), 54.2% from the state, and 12.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F), 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 Saraland Early Education Center 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 | 18.7:1 | ▲ 5% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.9% | ▼ 24% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 557 | top 64% | — | — |
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
44.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 24% 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
18.7:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 68% in Alabama — lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$15,498
per pupil, district-wide
— above Alabama avg of $14,500
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 557 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 557 Top 64% in Alabama — larger than 36% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 18.7:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 44.9% -24% vs state
NCES ID 010018502427
Student demographics
White 71.3%
African American 16.9%
Two or More 5.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.2%
Asian 2.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 71.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 557:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Saraland City, which includes Saraland Early Education Center.
$15,498
Per student
+7%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.8%
State 54.2%
Federal 12.1%
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
- 1,134
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,034
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 789
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
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 Saraland Early Education Center
How many students attend Saraland Early Education Center?
Saraland Early Education Center has 557 students enrolled. It is a other school in Saraland, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Saraland Early Education Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Saraland Early Education Center is 18.7:1, which is 5% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Saraland Early Education Center?
44.9% of students at Saraland Early Education Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Saraland Early Education Center?
The largest demographic group at Saraland Early Education Center is White at 71.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Saraland, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Saraland Early Education Center?
Saraland Early Education Center has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F) 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.