Enrollment
589
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Verbena, AL
Verbena High School
Federal NCES profile for Verbena High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010066000288
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Verbena High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median.
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.4:1
- students per teacher
- 76.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 589
- students enrolled
Verbena High School has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Chilton County · Alabama
NCES ID 010066000288 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.7%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Verbena High School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Verbena High School
Verbena High School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Verbena, Alabama, enrolling 589 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 76.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 589 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 318 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #75.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 393 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 20.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Chilton County also operates Clanton Elementary School (942 students) and Thorsby High School (895 students) alongside Verbena High 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 Verbena High School compares
Verbena High 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 | 18.4:1 | ▲ 4% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.7% | ▲ 30% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 589 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.4:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
589
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
76.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
18.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 65% in Alabama - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,181
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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 393 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 81.5%
Hispanic or Latino 8.7%
African American 6.3%
Two or More 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 81.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.3, Verbena High School is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chilton County, which includes Verbena High School.
$10,181
Per student
-18%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.2%
State 62.2%
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.
How Verbena High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clanton Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Thorsby High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chilton County High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Isabella High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jemison Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Verbena High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 942
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 895
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 833
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 789
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 752
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~589 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Verbena High School's federal record.
- Compare Verbena High School against another school. Compare schools
- Chilton 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 Verbena High School
How many students attend Verbena High School?
Verbena High School has 589 students enrolled. It is a public school in Verbena, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Verbena High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Verbena High School is 18.4:1, which is 4% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Verbena High School?
76.7% of students at Verbena High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Verbena High School?
The largest demographic group at Verbena High School is White at 81.5% of enrollment, in Verbena, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Verbena High School?
Verbena High School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Verbena High School a good school?
Verbena High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median. 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 Chilton County?
Besides Verbena High School, Chilton County also operates Clanton Elementary School (942 students), Thorsby High School (895 students), and Chilton County High School (833 students). See the Chilton 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.