Enrollment
237
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Prichard, AL
Whitley Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Whitley Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010237000968
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Whitley Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Alabama schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Alabama schools.
- #1 of 3
- schools in Prichard · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.8:1
- small classes for Alabama
- 90.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Whitley Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 85% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Whitley Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Prichard, AL.
School address
District: Mobile County · Alabama
NCES ID 010237000968 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
90.6%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whitley Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Whitley Elementary School
Whitley Elementary School is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Prichard, Alabama, enrolling 237 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 14.8:1, Whitley Elementary School is leaner than roughly 85% of Alabama schools and 16% under the state's 17.7:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 90.6% of students qualify for free meals, 54% above the Alabama average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 237 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 93 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #42.
Its student body is predominantly African American (99% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 2/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 237 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 64.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Prichard's public schools, it stands alongside Grant Elementary School (285 students): Whitley Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.8:1 vs 19:1).
Mobile County also operates Baker High School (2,271 students) and Mary G Montgomery High School (1,888 students) alongside Whitley Elementary 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 Whitley Elementary School compares
Whitley Elementary 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 | 14.8:1 | ▼ 16% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 90.6% | ▲ 54% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 237 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
237
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
90.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% above the Alabama average of 58.8%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 15% in Alabama - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
64.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,163
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 237 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 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
African American 99.2%
White 0.8%
Largest group: African American at 99.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 1.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 1.6, Whitley Elementary School is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mobile County, which includes Whitley Elementary School.
$12,163
Per student
-3%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.3%
State 49.5%
Federal 24.2%
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 Whitley Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baker High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mary G Montgomery High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Alma Bryant High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wp Davidson High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bernice J Causey Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Whitley Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,271
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 1,888
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 1,624
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 1,470
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 1,339
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
Similar other schools in Prichard
2 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 (~237 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Whitley Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Whitley Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Mobile 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 Whitley Elementary School
How many students attend Whitley Elementary School?
Whitley Elementary School has 237 students enrolled. It is a public school in Prichard, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whitley Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Whitley Elementary School is 14.8:1, which is 16% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Whitley Elementary School?
90.6% of students at Whitley Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whitley Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Whitley Elementary School is African American at 99.2% of enrollment, in Prichard, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whitley Elementary School?
Whitley Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical 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 Whitley Elementary School rank among schools in Prichard?
By Resource Investment Index, Whitley Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Prichard, AL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Prichard on the city page.
Is Whitley Elementary School a good school?
Whitley Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Alabama schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Alabama schools. 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 Mobile County?
Besides Whitley Elementary School, Mobile County also operates Baker High School (2,271 students), Mary G Montgomery High School (1,888 students), and Alma Bryant High School (1,624 students). See the Mobile 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.