Public schools in Bessemer, AL
Bessemer has 13 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 3 high, 1 middle, 9 elementary, enrolling 5,879 students. They are run by 4 districts and agencies; Bessemer City Schools runs 7 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 4 districts and agencies that run Bessemer's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Bessemer | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bessemer City Schools | 7 | 3,246 | $15,437 |
| Jefferson County Schools | 4 | 35,951 | $12,194 |
| Empower Community School | 1 | 139 | not reported |
| Alabama Aerospace and Aviation | 1 | 79 | $42,797 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
3 high schools in Bessemer, 1,698 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Grove High School | 777 | 18.5 | 40.0% | Jefferson County Schools |
| Bessemer City High School | 760 | 21.7 | 79.6% | Bessemer City Schools |
| Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School | 161 | 20.1 | 61.5% | Alabama Aerospace and Aviation |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
One middle school in Bessemer, 616 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bessemer City Middle School | 616 | 20.5 | 84.4% | Bessemer City Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
9 elementary schools in Bessemer, 3,565 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCalla Elementary School | 752 | 18.5 | 54.4% | Jefferson County Schools |
| Oak Grove Elementary School | 576 | 16.6 | 38.9% | Jefferson County Schools |
| Jonesboro Elementary School | 474 | 16.9 | 78.1% | Bessemer City Schools |
| Concord Elementary School | 400 | 17.6 | 56.5% | Jefferson County Schools |
| Charles F Hard Elementary School | 364 | 19.2 | 80.8% | Bessemer City Schools |
| Greenwood Elementary School | 290 | 22.3 | 71.7% | Bessemer City Schools |
| Westhills Elementary School | 277 | 17.3 | 74.0% | Bessemer City Schools |
| Abrams Elementary School | 231 | 16.5 | 79.2% | Bessemer City Schools |
| Empower Community School | 201 | not reported | 71.1% | Empower Community School |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Bessemer's public schools compare with Alabama's
The median Bessemer school has 18.5 students per full-time teacher, more than the Alabama median of 17.1. 0% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 0% across the state. Its median school enrolls 400 students (state 477).
| Bessemer | Alabama | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 18.5 | 17.1 |
| Median school size (students) | 400 | 477 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 0% | 0% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 100% | 81% |
| Charter schools | 15% | 1.3% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 13 Bessemer schools and the 1,357 Alabama schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Bessemer
- Bessemer City SchoolsRuns 7 of Bessemer's 13 public schools and spent $15,437 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$15,437
- Oak Grove High School, the largest high school in Bessemer777 students in 2024-25, 18.5 per teacher.777
- Compare Bessemer City Schools with Jefferson County SchoolsBessemer's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in AlabamaAlabama's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Bessemer addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in Alabama
- Birmingham59 schools
- Mobile57 schools
- Montgomery51 schools
- Huntsville47 schools
- Tuscaloosa23 schools
- Decatur20 schools
- Dothan17 schools
- Cullman16 schools
Questions about schools in Bessemer
How many public schools are in Bessemer, AL?
13 public schools with an address in Bessemer were open in 2024-25: 3 high, 1 middle, 9 elementary, enrolling 5,879 students. 2 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Bessemer?
Oak Grove High School, with 777 students in 2024-25 (Jefferson County Schools).Which districts run Bessemer's schools?
Bessemer City Schools (7 schools), Jefferson County Schools (4 schools), Empower Community School (1 school), Alabama Aerospace and Aviation (1 school). A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25