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Teachers: what resource would make the biggest difference at Helena Elementary School this year?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
778
Elementary
DISTRICT 618 · STATE 480
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SHELBY COUNTY·NCES 010303001175
Helena Elementary School
187 Third St, Helena, AL 35080 · (205) 682-5540 · Shelby County
GRADES KG–02ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL778 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
17.3:1
45 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.1:1 · STATE 17.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
30%
234 students
DISTRICT 47% · STATE 58%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 241 | 31% |
| Grade 1 | 268 | 34% |
| Grade 2 | 269 | 35% |
Student demographics
45%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 63% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Schools most like Helena Elementary School
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helena Elementary School this school | 778 | 30.1% | N/A |
| Chelsea Park Elementary School Chelsea | 891 | 30.1% | 68.7% |
| McBride Elementary School Muscle Shoals | 647 | 34.2% | 74.1% |
| Helena Intermediate School Helena | 955 | 28.8% | 66.4% |
| Daphne East Elementary School Daphne | 947 | 33.9% | 64.7% |
| Spanish Fort Elementary School Spanish Fort | 726 | 26.2% | 73.9% |
Matched among Alabama elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Helena Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Alabama | In Shelby County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 778 | #65 of 709 | #7 of 22 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.3:1 | #372 of 655 | #19 of 22 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 45.4% | #351 of 658 | #16 of 22 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 30.1% | #639 of 696 | #16 of 22 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -5.8% | #269 of 364 | #10 of 13 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
778
-54 (-6%) vs 2020
+5% since 1990-91, when it was 739
Student : Teacher
17.3:1
was 16.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 778 | 45 | 17.3:1 | 30% (234) |
| 2023-24 | 855 | 44 | 19.4:1 | 29% (252) |
| 2022-23 | 868 | 46 | 18.9:1 | 30% (263) |
| 2020-21 | 832 | 50 | 16.6:1 | 21% (174) |
| 2017-18 | 826 | 48 | 17.2:1 | 23% (192) |
| 2015-16 | 870 | 49 | 17.8:1 | 21% (184) |
| 2010-11 | 810 | 55 | 14.7:1 | 15% (123) |
| 2000-01 | 952 | 60 | 15.9:1 | 8% (80) |
| 1990-91 | 739 | 38 | 19.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Helena Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 6% (826 to 778); teachers down 6% (48 to 45).
About Helena Elementary School
Helena Elementary School is a public elementary school in Helena, Alabama. It offers kindergarten through 2 and has 778 students enrolled. By comparison, elementary schools in Alabama enroll about 480 students on average.
Shelby County has a total of 29 schools and 20,638 students, Helena Elementary School among them.
About 72% of the student body at Helena Elementary School is White. Other groups include 13% Black, 10% Hispanic, and 3% Asian. Shelby County residents are about 76% White, a similar share. A diversity index of 45% means there is a 45% chance two randomly chosen students at Helena Elementary School are from different groups.
The school's 45 full-time-equivalent teachers translate to a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.3:1. The ratio is within a point of the 17.0:1 average for elementary schools in Alabama. At Helena Elementary School, 30% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25. The rate at public schools in Shelby County averages 42%, higher than here.
American Community Survey estimates for Shelby County show that median household income comes to about $97,961, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 47% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 5%. Shelby County counts 48 public schools with about 35,120 students.
Helena Elementary School's closest public school neighbor is Helena Intermediate School, about 1.2 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles.
Under the NCES locale system, Helena Elementary School is Suburb: Large.
Enrollment fell by 6% across 4 years, from 832 in 2020-21 to 778 in 2024-25.
The allk12 page for Helena Elementary School lets the school community talk about pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Shelby County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
230,211
Census ACS
Median income
$97,961
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
47%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
48
35,120 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Shelby County
- Oak Mountain High SchoolHigh · 1,648 students
- Helena High SchoolHigh · 1,383 students
- Chelsea High SchoolHigh · 1,235 students
- Oak Mountain Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,168 students
- Calera HighHigh · 1,018 students
- Helena MiddleMiddle · 957 students
Other schools in Helena
- Helena High SchoolHigh · 1,383 students
- Helena MiddleMiddle · 957 students
- Helena Intermediate SchoolElementary · 955 students
Other Helena Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named Helena Elementary. Helena Elementary School is the largest of the 3.
- Helena ElementaryTimberlake, NC · 512 students
- HELENA ELEM.HELENA, MO · 99 students
Nearby schools
- Helena Intermediate School1.2 mi · 955
- Helena High School1.7 mi · 1,383
- Helena Middle1.8 mi · 957
- Pelham High School2.1 mi · 1,076
- Pelham Park Middle School2.5 mi · 835
- Robert F Bumpus Middle School2.8 mi · 1,192
Frequently asked questions
About Helena Elementary SchoolHow large is Helena Elementary School?
Helena Elementary School enrolls approximately 778 students in grades KG-02.
What age range does Helena Elementary School serve?
Helena Elementary School serves students from grade KG through grade 02.
How many students per teacher at Helena Elementary School?
Approximately 17.3:1 students per teacher at Helena Elementary School.
What is the student diversity at Helena Elementary School?
Student demographics at Helena Elementary School are roughly 72% White, 10% Hispanic, 13% Black, 3% Asian, 2% Two or more.
What district is Helena Elementary School in?
Helena Elementary School is part of Shelby County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.