Enrollment
340
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Alpine, AL
Sycamore School
Federal NCES profile for Sycamore School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010318001599
👥 S:T ratio 3
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sycamore School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Alabama schools.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 24.3:1
- large classes for Alabama
- 71.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 340
- students enrolled
Sycamore School has class sizes larger than 97% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Talladega County · Alabama
NCES ID 010318001599 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.3:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.1%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sycamore School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sycamore School
Sycamore School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Alpine, Alabama, enrolling 340 students.
Class loads run heavy: 24.3:1 is larger than about 97% of Alabama schools and 37% above the 17.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 71.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 340 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 324 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #114.
Its student body is led by White (51%) and African American (37%) (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 340 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
12.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 16.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Alpine's public schools, it stands alongside Winterboro High School (380 students): Sycamore School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (24.3:1 vs 22.4:1).
Talladega County also operates Lincoln Elementary School (902 students) and Munford Elementary School (770 students) alongside Sycamore 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 Sycamore School compares
Sycamore 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 | 24.3:1 | ▲ 37% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.1% | ▲ 21% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 340 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
24.3:1
Leaner classes than 6% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
340
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
71.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 21% above the Alabama average of 58.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
24.3:1
students per teacher
- 37% above state mean
Top 97% in Alabama - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
12.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,712
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 340 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.8 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 51.2%
African American 37.4%
Two or More 7.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.5%
Largest group: White at 51.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.1, Sycamore School is more mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Talladega County, which includes Sycamore School.
$11,712
Per student
-6%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.4%
State 55.3%
Federal 16.2%
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 Sycamore School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Munford Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lincoln High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Fayetteville High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bb Comer Memorial Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sycamore School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 902
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 770
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 607
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 580
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 521
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar other schools in Alpine
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 (~340 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~24.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sycamore School's federal record.
- Compare Sycamore School against another school. Compare schools
- Talladega 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 Sycamore School
How many students attend Sycamore School?
Sycamore School has 340 students enrolled. It is a public school in Alpine, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sycamore School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sycamore School is 24.3:1, which is 37% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 55% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sycamore School?
71.1% of students at Sycamore School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sycamore School?
The largest demographic group at Sycamore School is White at 51.2% of enrollment, in Alpine, AL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sycamore School?
Sycamore School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Sycamore School a good school?
Sycamore School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% 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 Talladega County?
Besides Sycamore School, Talladega County also operates Lincoln Elementary School (902 students), Munford Elementary School (770 students), and Lincoln High School (607 students). See the Talladega 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.