Enrollment
396
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 010237001038
The Pathway — Mobile, AL
Federal NCES profile for The Pathway, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 0
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: Mobile 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
-42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.6%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How The Pathway 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
The Pathway reports 396 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 42% below the Alabama state mean of 17.8:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 35% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 86.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 47% above the Alabama average and 67% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 198 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 51.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mobile County spends $13,185 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.3% from local sources (property taxes), 49.5% from the state, and 24.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), 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 The Pathway 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 | 10.4:1 | ▼ 42% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.6% | ▲ 47% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 396 | top 36% | — | — |
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
86.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 47% 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
10.4:1
students per teacher
— 42% below state mean
Top 1% in Alabama — lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
51.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,185
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 198 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 45 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 396 Top 36% in Alabama — larger than 64% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 10.4:1 -42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 86.6% +47% vs state
NCES ID 010237001038
Student demographics
African American 74.2%
White 18.4%
Hispanic or Latino 4.0%
Two or More 3.0%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 74.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 198:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 51.5%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 45
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mobile County, which includes The Pathway.
$13,185
Per student
-9%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 26.3%
State 49.5%
Federal 24.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,271
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,888
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 1,624
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,470
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,339
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
Similar elementary schools in Mobile
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 The Pathway
How many students attend The Pathway?
The Pathway has 396 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Mobile, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at The Pathway?
The student-teacher ratio at The Pathway is 10.4:1, which is 42% lower than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 35% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at The Pathway?
86.6% of students at The Pathway are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Pathway?
The largest demographic group at The Pathway is African American at 74.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Mobile, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Pathway?
The Pathway has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) 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.