Enrollment
361
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 010243001564
Wares Ferry Elementary School — Montgomery, AL
Federal NCES profile for Wares Ferry Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 8
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: Montgomery 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.6:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.3%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wares Ferry 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
Wares Ferry Elementary School reports 361 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 17% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 65.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 11% above the Alabama average and 26% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 361 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Montgomery County spends $12,933 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.1% from local sources (property taxes), 55.2% from the state, and 25.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Wares Ferry 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 | 18.6:1 | ▲ 4% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.3% | ▲ 11% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 361 | top 29% | — | — |
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
65.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 11% 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
18.6:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 66% in Alabama — lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
36.6%
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
$12,933
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 361 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 361 Top 29% in Alabama — larger than 71% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 18.6:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 65.3% +11% vs state
NCES ID 010243001564
Student demographics
African American 93.1%
Two or More 2.5%
White 2.2%
Hispanic or Latino 2.2%
Largest group: African American at 93.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 361:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.6%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 15
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montgomery County, which includes Wares Ferry Elementary School.
$12,933
Per student
-11%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.1%
State 55.2%
Federal 25.7%
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
- 1,587
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,553
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,282
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 882
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 806
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
Similar other schools in Montgomery
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Dalraida Elementary School
Standard public school
711 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Halcyon Elementary School
Standard public school
694 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Brewbaker Primary School
Standard public school
651 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Garrett Elementary School
Standard public school
592 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Dannelly Elementary School
Standard public school
588 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Crump Elementary School
Standard public school
575 students 17.1:1 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 Wares Ferry Elementary School
How many students attend Wares Ferry Elementary School?
Wares Ferry Elementary School has 361 students enrolled. It is a other school in Montgomery, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wares Ferry Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Wares Ferry Elementary School is 18.6:1, which is 4% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wares Ferry Elementary School?
65.3% of students at Wares Ferry Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wares Ferry Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Wares Ferry Elementary School is African American at 93.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Montgomery, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wares Ferry Elementary School?
Wares Ferry Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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.