Enrollment
277
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Vernon, AL
Vernon Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Vernon Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010195000757
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Vernon Elementary School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Alabama schools.
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.4:1
- small classes for Alabama
- 63.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 277
- students enrolled
Vernon Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 80% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.3%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vernon Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Vernon Elementary School
Vernon Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Vernon, Alabama, enrolling 277 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 63.3% lands close to the Alabama typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 277 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 242 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #168.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and African American (13%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 554 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Vernon's public schools, it stands alongside Lamar County Highintermediate (544 students): Vernon Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.4:1 vs 17:1).
Lamar County also operates Sulligent School (684 students) and South Lamar School (624 students) alongside Vernon Elementary 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 Vernon Elementary School compares
Vernon Elementary 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 | 15.4:1 | ▼ 13% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.3% | ▲ 8% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 277 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.4:1
Leaner classes than 43% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
277
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
63.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% 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
15.4:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 20% in Alabama - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.9%
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
$10,840
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 78.7%
African American 13.0%
Hispanic or Latino 3.6%
Two or More 3.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 78.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.1, Vernon Elementary School is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lamar County, which includes Vernon Elementary School.
$10,840
Per student
-13%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.0%
State 65.7%
Federal 14.3%
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 Vernon Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sulligent School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Lamar School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lamar County Highintermediate | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Vernon Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 684
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 624
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 544
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar other schools in Vernon
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 (~277 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Vernon Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Vernon Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Lamar 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 Vernon Elementary School
How many students attend Vernon Elementary School?
Vernon Elementary School has 277 students enrolled. It is a public school in Vernon, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vernon Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Vernon Elementary School is 15.4:1, which is 13% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Vernon Elementary School?
63.3% of students at Vernon Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Vernon Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Vernon Elementary School is White at 78.7% of enrollment, in Vernon, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vernon Elementary School?
Vernon Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Vernon Elementary School a good school?
Vernon Elementary School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% 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 Lamar County?
Besides Vernon Elementary School, Lamar County also operates Sulligent School (684 students), South Lamar School (624 students), and Lamar County Highintermediate (544 students). See the Lamar 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.