Enrollment
503
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Section, AL
Section High School
Federal NCES profile for Section High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010183000667
👥 S:T ratio 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Section High School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median.
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.3:1
- students per teacher
- 50.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 503
- students enrolled
Section High School has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Jackson County · Alabama
NCES ID 010183000667 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.6%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Section High School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Section High School
Section High School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Section, Alabama, enrolling 503 students.
At 17.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Alabama median, within a few percentage points of the 17.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 50.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 503 students, its enrollment sits close to the Alabama median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 437 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #145.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (18%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 335 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Section's public schools, it stands alongside Macedonia School (138 students): Section High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.3:1 vs 23:1).
Jackson County also operates North Sand Mountain School (694 students) and Pisgah High School (598 students) alongside Section 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 Section High School compares
Section 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 | 17.3:1 | ▼ 2% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.6% | ▼ 14% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 503 | top 45% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.3:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
503
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
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
17.3:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 49% in Alabama - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.0%
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
$11,504
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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 335 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 72.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 18.3%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Two or More 2.0%
African American 1.8%
Largest group: White at 72.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.8, Section High School is about as mixed as the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jackson County, which includes Section High School.
$11,504
Per student
-8%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.4%
State 56.5%
Federal 14.1%
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.
How Section High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Sand Mountain School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pisgah High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Skyline High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Woodville High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Jackson High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Section High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 694
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 598
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 586
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 504
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 432
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar other schools in Section
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 (~503 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Section High School's federal record.
- Compare Section High School against another school. Compare schools
- Jackson 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 Section High School
How many students attend Section High School?
Section High School has 503 students enrolled. It is a public school in Section, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Section High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Section High School is 17.3:1, which is 2% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 10% higher 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 Section High School?
50.6% of students at Section High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Section High School?
The largest demographic group at Section High School is White at 72.4% of enrollment, in Section, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Section High School?
Section High School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Section High School a good school?
Section High School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median. 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 Jackson County?
Besides Section High School, Jackson County also operates North Sand Mountain School (694 students), Pisgah High School (598 students), and Skyline High School (586 students). See the Jackson 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.