Enrollment
424
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 010039000196
Wilkerson Middle School — Birmingham, AL
Federal NCES profile for Wilkerson Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 8
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 97
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: Birmingham 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)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
+29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.4%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wilkerson Middle 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
Wilkerson Middle School reports 424 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 29% 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 44% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 85.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 45% above the Alabama average and 65% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 424 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 1.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Birmingham City spends $15,867 per pupil district-wide, above the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.0% from local sources (property taxes), 43.8% from the state, and 23.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), 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 Wilkerson Middle 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 | 22.9:1 | ▲ 29% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.4% | ▲ 45% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 424 | top 41% | — | — |
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
85.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 45% 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
22.9:1
students per teacher
— 29% above state mean
Top 97% in Alabama — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
1.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$15,867
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 424 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
49
in-school suspensions + 45 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 424 Top 41% in Alabama — larger than 59% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 22.9:1 +29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 85.4% +45% vs state
NCES ID 010039000196
Student demographics
African American 79.5%
Hispanic or Latino 17.7%
Two or More 1.9%
White 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 79.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 424:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 1.2%
In-school suspensions 49
Out-of-school suspensions 45
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Birmingham City, which includes Wilkerson Middle School.
$15,867
Per student
+9%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.0%
State 43.8%
Federal 23.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,094
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 942
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Enrollment
- 827
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 779
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 762
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
Similar middle schools in Birmingham
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Oak Mountain Middle School
Standard public school
1,168 students 21:1 students per teacher
Jones Valley Middle School
Standard public school
465 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
I3 Academy Phase 2
Standard public school
400 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Huffman Middle School
Standard public school
384 students 21:1 students per teacher
Bush Hills Steam Academy
Standard public school
370 students 19.7:1 students per teacher
Smith Middle School
Standard public school
336 students 25.1:1 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 Wilkerson Middle School
How many students attend Wilkerson Middle School?
Wilkerson Middle School has 424 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Birmingham, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wilkerson Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Wilkerson Middle School is 22.9:1, which is 29% higher than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 44% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wilkerson Middle School?
85.4% of students at Wilkerson Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wilkerson Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Wilkerson Middle School is African American at 79.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Birmingham, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wilkerson Middle School?
Wilkerson Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) 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.