Enrollment
723
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Toney, AL
Sparkman Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Sparkman Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 010222001412
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 99
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sparkman Middle School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Alabama schools.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.1:1
- students per teacher
- 54.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 723
- students enrolled
Sparkman Middle School has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.1:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+2% 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
What stands out at Sparkman Middle School
Sparkman Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Toney, Alabama, enrolling 723 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 54.8% lands close to the Alabama typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 723 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Among 399 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Alabama schools statewide, it ranks #34, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (39%) and White (36%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 70/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 362 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 0.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Discipline events run high: 274 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 723 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 21 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Madison County also operates Sparkman High School (1,770 students) and Hazel Green High School (1,454 students) alongside Sparkman 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 Sparkman Middle School compares
Sparkman 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 | 18.1:1 | ▲ 2% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.8% | ▼ 7% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 723 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.1:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
723
Bigger than 82% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
18.1:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 62% in Alabama - lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
0.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$10,543
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
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
- 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
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.
Student-body diversity index 69.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.8, Sparkman Middle School is more mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Madison County, which includes Sparkman Middle School.
$10,543
Per student
-16%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Sparkman Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparkman High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hazel Green High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Buckhorn High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Meridianville Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Monrovia Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sparkman Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,770
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,454
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 1,320
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,100
- Students per teacher
- 32.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 988
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar middle 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 (~723 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sparkman Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Sparkman Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Madison 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 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 18.1:1, which is 2% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Toney, AL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sparkman Middle School?
Sparkman Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Sparkman Middle School a good school?
Sparkman Middle School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Madison County?
Besides Sparkman Middle School, Madison County also operates Sparkman High School (1,770 students), Hazel Green High School (1,454 students), and Buckhorn High School (1,320 students). See the Madison 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.