Enrollment
517
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 010114000425
Valley Head High School — Valley Head, AL
Federal NCES profile for Valley Head High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 38
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: Dekalb 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)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.6%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Valley Head High 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
Valley Head High School reports 517 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 22% 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 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 62.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 6% above the Alabama average and 21% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 517 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dekalb County spends $12,957 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 18.0% from local sources (property taxes), 61.4% from the state, and 20.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Valley Head High 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 | 13.9:1 | ▼ 22% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.6% | ▲ 6% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 517 | top 58% | — | — |
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
62.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 6% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
— 22% below state mean
Top 6% in Alabama — lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
25.0%
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
$12,957
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 517 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 517 Top 58% in Alabama — larger than 42% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 13.9:1 -22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 62.6% +6% vs state
NCES ID 010114000425
Student demographics
White 66.5%
Hispanic or Latino 25.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.8%
Two or More 2.1%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 66.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 517:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.0%
In-school suspensions 12
Out-of-school suspensions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dekalb County, which includes Valley Head High School.
$12,957
Per student
-11%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 18.0%
State 61.4%
Federal 20.6%
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
- 1,211
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,167
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 954
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 915
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 906
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
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 Valley Head High School
How many students attend Valley Head High School?
Valley Head High School has 517 students enrolled. It is a other school in Valley Head, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley Head High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Valley Head High School is 13.9:1, which is 22% lower than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 13% 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 Valley Head High School?
62.6% of students at Valley Head High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Valley Head High School?
The largest demographic group at Valley Head High School is White at 66.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Valley Head, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valley Head High School?
Valley Head High School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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.