Enrollment
564
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 010198001544
W O Lance Elementary — Lanett, AL
Federal NCES profile for W O Lance Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 27/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 6
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: Lanett 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)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.1%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How W O Lance Elementary 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 O Lance Elementary reports 564 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 87.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% above the Alabama average and 68% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 564 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 37.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lanett City spends $16,676 per pupil district-wide, above the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.8% from local sources (property taxes), 49.7% from the state, and 26.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (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 W O Lance Elementary 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 | 16.9:1 | ▼ 5% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.1% | ▲ 48% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 564 | top 65% | — | — |
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
87.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% 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
16.9:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 37% in Alabama — lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
37.8%
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
$16,676
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 564 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
181
in-school suspensions + 37 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 32.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 38.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 564 Top 65% in Alabama — larger than 35% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 16.9:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 87.1% +48% vs state
NCES ID 010198001544
Student demographics
African American 60.1%
Hispanic or Latino 31.4%
White 4.8%
Two or More 3.7%
Largest group: African American at 60.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 564:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 37.8%
In-school suspensions 181
Out-of-school suspensions 37
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lanett City, which includes W O Lance Elementary.
$16,676
Per student
+15%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 23.8%
State 49.7%
Federal 26.5%
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
- 260
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 147
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
Similar other schools in Lanett
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 O Lance Elementary
How many students attend W O Lance Elementary?
W O Lance Elementary has 564 students enrolled. It is a other school in Lanett, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at W O Lance Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at W O Lance Elementary is 16.9:1, which is 5% lower than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 6% higher 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 W O Lance Elementary?
87.1% of students at W O Lance Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of W O Lance Elementary?
The largest demographic group at W O Lance Elementary is African American at 60.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lanett, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for W O Lance Elementary?
W O Lance Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (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.