Enrollment
393
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 010258000093
West Forest Intermediate School — Opelika, AL
Federal NCES profile for West Forest Intermediate School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 42
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 58
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: Opelika 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)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.1%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Forest Intermediate 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
West Forest Intermediate School reports 393 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% 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 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 86.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% above the Alabama average and 66% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 393 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Opelika City spends $13,791 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 37.5% from local sources (property taxes), 46.5% from the state, and 16.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 West Forest Intermediate 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 | 14.4:1 | ▼ 19% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.1% | ▲ 46% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 393 | top 35% | — | — |
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
86.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% 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
14.4:1
students per teacher
— 19% below state mean
Top 8% in Alabama — lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
16.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$13,791
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 393 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 393 Top 35% in Alabama — larger than 65% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 14.4:1 -19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 86.1% +46% vs state
NCES ID 010258000093
Student demographics
African American 47.6%
Hispanic or Latino 40.7%
White 7.9%
Two or More 2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Largest group: African American at 47.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 393:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.8%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Opelika City, which includes West Forest Intermediate School.
$13,791
Per student
-5%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 37.5%
State 46.5%
Federal 16.1%
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
- 1,590
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 812
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 480
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 464
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Enrollment
- 435
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
Similar elementary schools in Opelika
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Sanford Middle School
Standard public school
533 students 17:1 students per teacher
Southview Primary School
Standard public school
480 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Northside School
Standard public school
464 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Jeter Primary School
Standard public school
435 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Carver Primary School
Standard public school
414 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Morris Avenue Intermediate School
Standard public school
397 students 18.4:1 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 West Forest Intermediate School
How many students attend West Forest Intermediate School?
West Forest Intermediate School has 393 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Opelika, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Forest Intermediate School?
The student-teacher ratio at West Forest Intermediate School is 14.4:1, which is 19% lower than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 9% lower 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 West Forest Intermediate School?
86.1% of students at West Forest Intermediate School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Forest Intermediate School?
The largest demographic group at West Forest Intermediate School is African American at 47.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Opelika, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Forest Intermediate School?
West Forest Intermediate School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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.