Enrollment
218
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 010162000565
Walnut Park Elementary School — Gadsden, AL
Federal NCES profile for Walnut Park Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 30/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 20
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: Gadsden 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)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.1:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.8%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Walnut Park Elementary 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
Walnut Park Elementary School reports 218 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 12.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 8% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 87.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 49% above the Alabama average and 69% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 4360 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Gadsden City spends $14,820 per pupil district-wide, above the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 18.6% from local sources (property taxes), 57.1% from the state, and 24.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (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 Walnut Park Elementary 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 | 17.1:1 | ▼ 4% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.8% | ▲ 49% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 218 | top 9% | — | — |
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
87.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 49% 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
17.1:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 41% in Alabama — lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.1%
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
$14,820
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
Counselors0.1 FTE
Per 4360 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 218 Top 9% in Alabama — larger than 91% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 12.0
Students per teacher 17.1:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 87.8% +49% vs state
NCES ID 010162000565
Student demographics
White 53.2%
African American 25.2%
Hispanic or Latino 18.8%
Two or More 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: White at 53.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.1
Students per counselor 4360:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gadsden City, which includes Walnut Park Elementary School.
$14,820
Per student
+2%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 18.6%
State 57.1%
Federal 24.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,361
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 438
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Enrollment
- 433
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Enrollment
- 384
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
Similar other schools in Gadsden
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Adams Elementary School
Standard public school
433 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
W E Striplin Elementary School
Standard public school
400 students 23.2:1 students per teacher
Floyd Elementary School
Standard public school
384 students 22.9:1 students per teacher
Gaston High School
Standard public school
380 students 20.4:1 students per teacher
Eura Brown Elementary School
Standard public school
340 students 16:1 students per teacher
Gaston Elementary School
Standard public school
290 students 17:1 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 Walnut Park Elementary School
How many students attend Walnut Park Elementary School?
Walnut Park Elementary School has 218 students enrolled. It is a other school in Gadsden, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Walnut Park Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Walnut Park Elementary School is 17.1:1, which is 4% lower than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 8% 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 Walnut Park Elementary School?
87.8% of students at Walnut Park Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Walnut Park Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Walnut Park Elementary School is White at 53.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Gadsden, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Walnut Park Elementary School?
Walnut Park Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (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.