Enrollment
507
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Homewood, AL
Shades Cahaba Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Shades Cahaba Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 010176000610
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 84
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Shades Cahaba Elementary School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Alabama schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Homewood · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.9:1
- small classes for Alabama
- 21.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Shades Cahaba Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 84% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Shades Cahaba Elementary School ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Homewood, AL.
School address
District: Homewood City · Alabama
NCES ID 010176000610 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.2%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-64% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shades Cahaba Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Shades Cahaba Elementary School
Shades Cahaba Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Homewood, Alabama, enrolling 507 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 21.2% free-meal eligibility runs 64% below the Alabama average.
With 507 students, its enrollment sits close to the Alabama median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 92 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #16.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and African American (9%) (diversity index 41/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 507 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Homewood's elementary schools, it stands alongside Edgewood Elementary School (935 students): Shades Cahaba Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.9:1 vs 16.1:1).
Homewood City also operates Homewood High School (1,333 students) and Homewood Middle School (1,000 students) alongside Shades Cahaba 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 Shades Cahaba Elementary School compares
Shades Cahaba 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 | 14.9:1 | ▼ 16% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.2% | ▼ 64% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 507 | top 44% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.9:1
Leaner classes than 48% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
507
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 64% below the Alabama average of 58.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.9:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 16% in Alabama - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
6.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$14,312
per pupil, district-wide
- above Alabama avg of $12,491
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 507 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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 75.5%
African American 8.9%
Hispanic or Latino 7.5%
Two or More 5.1%
Asian 3.0%
Largest group: White at 75.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.3, Shades Cahaba Elementary 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 Homewood City, which includes Shades Cahaba Elementary School.
$14,312
Per student
+15%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.1%
State 34.3%
Federal 7.7%
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 Shades Cahaba Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homewood High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Homewood Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Edgewood Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hall Kent Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Shades Cahaba Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,333
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 1,000
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 935
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 717
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar elementary schools in Homewood
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~507 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Shades Cahaba Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Shades Cahaba Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Homewood 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 Shades Cahaba Elementary School
How many students attend Shades Cahaba Elementary School?
Shades Cahaba Elementary School has 507 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Homewood, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shades Cahaba Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Shades Cahaba Elementary School is 14.9:1, which is 16% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 5% 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 Shades Cahaba Elementary School?
21.2% of students at Shades Cahaba Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shades Cahaba Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Shades Cahaba Elementary School is White at 75.5% of enrollment, in Homewood, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shades Cahaba Elementary School?
Shades Cahaba Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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).
How does Shades Cahaba Elementary School rank among public schools in Homewood?
By Resource Investment Index, Shades Cahaba Elementary School ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Homewood, 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 Homewood on the city page.
Is Shades Cahaba Elementary School a good school?
Shades Cahaba Elementary School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% 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 Homewood City?
Besides Shades Cahaba Elementary School, Homewood City also operates Homewood High School (1,333 students), Homewood Middle School (1,000 students), and Edgewood Elementary School (935 students). See the Homewood 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.