Enrollment
451
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 010343002103
Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights — Vestavia Hills, AL
Federal NCES profile for Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 89
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: Vestavia Hills City · 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)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.0%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-74% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights 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
Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights reports 451 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 15.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 74% below the Alabama average and 71% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 451 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 4.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Vestavia Hills City spends $15,310 per pupil district-wide, above the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.1% from local sources (property taxes), 42.8% from the state, and 5.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-), 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 Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights 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 | 15.8:1 | ▼ 11% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.0% | ▼ 74% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 451 | top 46% | — | — |
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
15.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 74% below the Alabama average of 58.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.8:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 20% in Alabama — lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
4.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$15,310
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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 451 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 451 Top 46% in Alabama — larger than 54% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 15.8:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 15.0% -74% vs state
NCES ID 010343002103
Student demographics
White 80.9%
Hispanic or Latino 6.4%
Two or More 4.9%
Asian 4.4%
African American 3.3%
Largest group: White at 80.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 451:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 4.2%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Vestavia Hills City, which includes Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights.
$15,310
Per student
+6%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.1%
State 42.8%
Federal 5.1%
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
- 1,625
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,131
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 771
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 691
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 657
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
Similar other schools in Vestavia Hills
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
East Elementary
Standard public school
771 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
West Elementary
Standard public school
691 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge
Standard public school
657 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Liberty Park Elementary
Standard public school
546 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
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 Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights
How many students attend Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights?
Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights has 451 students enrolled. It is a other school in Vestavia Hills, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights?
The student-teacher ratio at Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights is 15.8:1, which is 11% lower than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 1% 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 Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights?
15.0% of students at Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights?
The largest demographic group at Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights is White at 80.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Vestavia Hills, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights?
Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) 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.