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Bessemer, Alabama - 7 schools
An equity score of 53/100 ranks Bessemer City #68 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,580 per pupil, Bessemer City ranks #34 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,246
Total Enrollment
7
Schools
$13,580
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Bessemer City operates 7 public schools serving 3,246 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 combined, 2 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Jefferson County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,580 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending. See how Alabama compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 27.2% local, 46.5% state, and 26.3% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 53/100, ranked #68 of 146 in Alabama against a state average of 51, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 290.2:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 41.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 75.2% African American, 20.7% Hispanic or Latino, 1.8% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Greenwood Elementary School, with a diversity index of 54.7/100.
Its largest campus is Bessemer City High School, enrolling 760 students (25% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Abrams Elementary School, at 231 students, a 3x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Bessemer City High School accounts for 23.4% of all Bessemer City student enrollment
That concentration means Bessemer 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.
Bessemer City school enrollment varies 3.3× across entities
Bessemer City school enrollment ranges from 231 students (lowest) to 760 students (highest), a spread of 529 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.
Bessemer City has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 75.8% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Bessemer City student-counselor ratio is 290:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Bessemer City is typically wider than the Bessemer City-aggregate figure suggests.
Bessemer City chronic absenteeism rate is 41.9% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Bessemer City has 7 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 3 combined, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 3,246 students.
How much does Bessemer City spend per student?
Bessemer City spends $13,580 per student. The district has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #68 in Alabama.
What is the demographic composition of Bessemer City?
Bessemer City students are 75.2% African American, 20.7% Hispanic or Latino, 1.8% White, averaged across 7 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Bessemer City?
Bessemer City has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #68 out of 146 districts in Alabama.