Enrollment
723
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 010222001412
Sparkman Middle School — Toney, AL
Federal NCES profile for Sparkman Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 14
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 99
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: Madison County · 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)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.5:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.8%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sparkman Middle School 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
Sparkman Middle School reports 723 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 40.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% 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 35% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 7% below the Alabama average and 6% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 362 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 0.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Madison County spends $11,512 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.2% from local sources (property taxes), 55.4% from the state, and 11.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), 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 Sparkman Middle School 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 | 21.5:1 | ▲ 21% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.8% | ▼ 7% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 723 | top 80% | — | — |
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
54.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 7% 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
21.5:1
students per teacher
— 21% above state mean
Top 94% in Alabama — lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
0.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$11,512
per pupil, district-wide
— below Alabama avg of $14,500
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 362 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
146
in-school suspensions + 128 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 20.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 37.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 21 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 723 Top 80% in Alabama — larger than 20% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 40.0
Students per teacher 21.5:1 +21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.8% -7% vs state
NCES ID 010222001412
Student demographics
African American 39.1%
White 35.5%
Hispanic or Latino 12.7%
Two or More 7.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.7%
Asian 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 39.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 362:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 0.3%
In-school suspensions 146
Out-of-school suspensions 128
Expulsions 21
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Madison County, which includes Sparkman Middle School.
$11,512
Per student
-21%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.2%
State 55.4%
Federal 11.5%
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
- 1,770
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,454
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,320
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,100
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Enrollment
- 988
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
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 Sparkman Middle School
How many students attend Sparkman Middle School?
Sparkman Middle School has 723 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Toney, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sparkman Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sparkman Middle School is 21.5:1, which is 21% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 35% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sparkman Middle School?
54.8% of students at Sparkman Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sparkman Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Sparkman Middle School is African American at 39.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Toney, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sparkman Middle School?
Sparkman Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) 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.