Enrollment
736
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 010210000810
West Limestone High School — Lester, AL
Federal NCES profile for West Limestone High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 21
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 17
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: Limestone 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)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.8:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.5%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Limestone High 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 Limestone High School reports 736 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 25% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 52.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 11% below the Alabama average and 1% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 368 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Limestone County spends $8,557 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.4% from local sources (property taxes), 61.6% from the state, and 11.1% 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 West Limestone High 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 | 19.8:1 | ▲ 11% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.5% | ▼ 11% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 736 | top 82% | — | — |
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
52.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 11% 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
19.8:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 83% in Alabama — lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
33.3%
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
$8,557
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 368 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
120
in-school suspensions + 83 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 736 Top 82% in Alabama — larger than 18% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 19.8:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 52.5% -11% vs state
NCES ID 010210000810
Student demographics
White 74.5%
Hispanic or Latino 17.9%
Two or More 3.1%
African American 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 74.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 8
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 368:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.3%
In-school suspensions 120
Out-of-school suspensions 83
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Limestone County, which includes West Limestone High School.
$8,557
Per student
-41%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-56%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.4%
State 61.6%
Federal 11.1%
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
- 7,822
- Students per teacher
- —
- Enrollment
- 1,216
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 964
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 631
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 599
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
Similar other schools in Lester
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 West Limestone High School
How many students attend West Limestone High School?
West Limestone High School has 736 students enrolled. It is a other school in Lester, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Limestone High School?
The student-teacher ratio at West Limestone High School is 19.8:1, which is 11% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at West Limestone High School?
52.5% of students at West Limestone High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Limestone High School?
The largest demographic group at West Limestone High School is White at 74.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lester, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Limestone High School?
West Limestone High School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.