Enrollment
545
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 010060000272
W F Burns Middle School — Valley, AL
Federal NCES profile for W F Burns Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 19
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 86
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: Chambers 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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.3:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.7%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How W F Burns Middle 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
W F Burns Middle School reports 545 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% above the Alabama state mean of 17.8:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 28% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 55.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 5% below the Alabama average and 8% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 545 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 5.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Chambers County spends $12,752 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.0% from local sources (property taxes), 55.7% from the state, and 21.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), 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 W F Burns Middle 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 | 20.3:1 | ▲ 14% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.7% | ▼ 5% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 545 | top 62% | — | — |
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
55.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 5% below the Alabama average of 58.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
20.3:1
students per teacher
— 14% above state mean
Top 88% in Alabama — lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
5.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$12,752
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 545 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
116
in-school suspensions + 102 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 21.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 40.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 545 Top 62% in Alabama — larger than 38% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 20.3:1 +14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 55.7% -5% vs state
NCES ID 010060000272
Student demographics
White 47.2%
African American 37.6%
Hispanic or Latino 13.4%
Two or More 1.3%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 47.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 545:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 5.5%
In-school suspensions 116
Out-of-school suspensions 102
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chambers County, which includes W F Burns Middle School.
$12,752
Per student
-12%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 23.0%
State 55.7%
Federal 21.2%
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
- 692
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 689
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 311
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 232
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
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 W F Burns Middle School
How many students attend W F Burns Middle School?
W F Burns Middle School has 545 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Valley, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at W F Burns Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at W F Burns Middle School is 20.3:1, which is 14% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 28% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at W F Burns Middle School?
55.7% of students at W F Burns Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of W F Burns Middle School?
The largest demographic group at W F Burns Middle School is White at 47.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Valley, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for W F Burns Middle School?
W F Burns Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) 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.