Enrollment
575
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Buhl, AL
Sipsey Valley Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Sipsey Valley Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 010339002154
👥 S:T ratio 12
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sipsey Valley Middle School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Alabama schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Buhl · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.1:1
- large classes for Alabama
- 56.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Sipsey Valley Middle School has class sizes larger than 94% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sipsey Valley Middle School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Buhl, AL.
School address
District: Tuscaloosa County · Alabama
NCES ID 010339002154 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.1:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.1%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sipsey Valley Middle School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sipsey Valley Middle School
Sipsey Valley Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Buhl, Alabama, enrolling 575 students.
Class loads run heavy: 22.1:1 is larger than about 94% of Alabama schools and 25% above the 17.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 56.1% lands close to the Alabama typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 575 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Among 485 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Alabama schools statewide, it ranks #376, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (68%) and African American (18%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 575 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Tuscaloosa County also operates Tuscaloosa County High School (1,607 students) and Hillcrest High School (1,434 students) alongside Sipsey Valley 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 Sipsey Valley Middle School compares
Sipsey Valley 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 | 22.1:1 | ▲ 25% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.1% | ▼ 5% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 575 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.1:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
575
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
56.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% 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
22.1:1
students per teacher
- 25% above state mean
Top 94% in Alabama - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
23.1%
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
$11,186
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 575 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
54
in-school suspensions + 38 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.0 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 68.3%
African American 17.6%
Hispanic or Latino 12.2%
Two or More 1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 68.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.7, Sipsey Valley Middle School is more mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tuscaloosa County, which includes Sipsey Valley Middle School.
$11,186
Per student
-10%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.0%
State 58.1%
Federal 14.9%
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 Sipsey Valley Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuscaloosa County High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hillcrest High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Brookwood High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lake View Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Walker Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sipsey Valley Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,607
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,434
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,076
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 744
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 743
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
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 (~575 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sipsey Valley Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Sipsey Valley Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Tuscaloosa 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 Sipsey Valley Middle School
How many students attend Sipsey Valley Middle School?
Sipsey Valley Middle School has 575 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Buhl, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sipsey Valley Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sipsey Valley Middle School is 22.1:1, which is 25% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 41% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sipsey Valley Middle School?
56.1% of students at Sipsey Valley Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sipsey Valley Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Sipsey Valley Middle School is White at 68.3% of enrollment, in Buhl, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sipsey Valley Middle School?
Sipsey Valley Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower 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 Sipsey Valley Middle School rank among public schools in Buhl?
By Resource Investment Index, Sipsey Valley Middle School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Buhl, 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 Buhl on the city page.
Is Sipsey Valley Middle School a good school?
Sipsey Valley Middle School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% 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 Tuscaloosa County?
Besides Sipsey Valley Middle School, Tuscaloosa County also operates Tuscaloosa County High School (1,607 students), Hillcrest High School (1,434 students), and Brookwood High School (1,076 students). See the Tuscaloosa 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.