Enrollment
303
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · New Market, AL
Walnut Grove School
Federal NCES profile for Walnut Grove School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010222000850
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 56
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Walnut Grove School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in New Market · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.8:1
- students per teacher
- 51.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Walnut Grove School has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Walnut Grove School ranks #1 of 5 public schools in New Market, AL.
School address
District: Madison County · Alabama
NCES ID 010222000850 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.1%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Walnut Grove School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Walnut Grove School
Walnut Grove School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in New Market, Alabama, enrolling 303 students.
At 17.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Alabama median, within a few percentage points of the 17.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 51.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 303 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 224 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #40.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and Two or More (7%) (diversity index 41/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 276 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
17.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among New Market's public schools, it stands alongside New Market School (426 students): Walnut Grove School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.8:1 vs 20.3:1).
Madison County also operates Sparkman High School (1,770 students) and Hazel Green High School (1,454 students) alongside Walnut Grove 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 Walnut Grove School compares
Walnut Grove 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 | 17.8:1 | ▲ 1% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.1% | ▼ 13% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 303 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
303
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 13% 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
17.8:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 56% in Alabama - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
17.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,543
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
Counselors1.1 FTE
Per 275 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.6 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 76.2%
Two or More 6.9%
Hispanic or Latino 5.9%
African American 5.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.0%
Asian 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 76.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.6, Walnut Grove School is about as mixed as the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Madison County, which includes Walnut Grove School.
$10,543
Per student
-16%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.2%
State 55.4%
Federal 11.5%
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.
How Walnut Grove School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparkman High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hazel Green High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Buckhorn High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Meridianville Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Monrovia Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Walnut Grove School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,770
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,454
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 1,320
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,100
- Students per teacher
- 32.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 988
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar other schools in New Market
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 (~303 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Walnut Grove School's federal record.
- Compare Walnut Grove School against another school. Compare schools
- Madison 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 Walnut Grove School
How many students attend Walnut Grove School?
Walnut Grove School has 303 students enrolled. It is a public school in New Market, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Walnut Grove School?
The student-teacher ratio at Walnut Grove School is 17.8:1, which is 1% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Walnut Grove School?
51.1% of students at Walnut Grove School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Walnut Grove School?
The largest demographic group at Walnut Grove School is White at 76.2% of enrollment, in New Market, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Walnut Grove School?
Walnut Grove School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher 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).
How does Walnut Grove School rank among public schools in New Market?
By Resource Investment Index, Walnut Grove School ranks #1 of 5 public schools in New Market, AL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in New Market on the city page.
Is Walnut Grove School a good school?
Walnut Grove School earns 50/100 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 Madison County?
Besides Walnut Grove School, Madison County also operates Sparkman High School (1,770 students), Hazel Green High School (1,454 students), and Buckhorn High School (1,320 students). See the Madison 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.