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Athens, Alabama - 8 schools
An equity score of 9/100 ranks Athens City #146 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,655 per pupil, Athens City ranks #133 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
4,840
Total Enrollment
8
Schools
$10,655
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Athens City operates 8 public schools serving 4,840 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 elementary, 3 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Limestone County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,655 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the bottom 15 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending. See how Alabama compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 52.1% local, 38.8% state, and 9.1% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 9/100, ranked #146 of 146 in Alabama against a state average of 51, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 8 schools offering Advanced Placement (15 AP courses district-wide), a 429.1:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 15.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 52.1% White, 21.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is James L Cowart Elementary School, with a diversity index of 70.7/100.
Its largest campus is Athens High School, enrolling 1,278 students (25% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is James L Cowart Elementary School, at 332 students, a 4x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Athens High School accounts for 25.3% of all Athens City student enrollment
That concentration means Athens City-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Athens City school enrollment varies 3.8× across entities
Athens City school enrollment ranges from 332 students (lowest) to 1,278 students (highest), a spread of 946 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Athens City student-counselor ratio is 429:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Athens City chronic absenteeism rate is 15.2% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Athens City is typically wider than the Athens City-aggregate figure suggests.
Athens City has 8 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 3 elementary, 3 combined. Total enrollment is 4,840 students.
How much does Athens City spend per student?
Athens City spends $10,655 per student. The district has an equity score of 9/100, ranking #146 in Alabama.
What is the demographic composition of Athens City?
Athens City students are 52.1% White, 21.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% African American, 1.5% Asian, averaged across 8 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Athens City?
Athens City has an equity score of 9/100, ranking #146 out of 146 districts in Alabama.