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Birmingham, Alabama - 43 schools
An equity score of 56/100 ranks Birmingham City #53 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,890 per pupil, Birmingham City ranks #27 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
21,130
Total Enrollment
43
Schools
$13,890
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Birmingham City operates 43 public schools serving 21,130 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 30 combined, 8 middle, 5 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage 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 Jefferson County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,890 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 33.0% local, 43.8% state, and 23.2% 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 56/100, ranked #53 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.
Academic infrastructure includes 7 of 43 schools offering Advanced Placement (37 AP courses district-wide), a 408.7:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 36.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 83.9% African American, 13.1% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Glen Iris Elementary School, with a diversity index of 52.2/100.
Its largest campus is Huffman High Schoolmagnet, enrolling 1,094 students (5% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Bcs Virtual Academy of Learning, at 184 students, a 6x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Birmingham City school enrollment varies 5.9× across entities
Birmingham City school enrollment ranges from 184 students (lowest) to 1,094 students (highest), a spread of 910 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.
Birmingham City has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 78.5% 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.
Birmingham City student-counselor ratio is 409:1 — 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.
Birmingham City chronic absenteeism rate is 36.8% — 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.
Birmingham City has 43 schools, including 30 combined, 5 high, 8 middle. Total enrollment is 21,130 students.
How much does Birmingham City spend per student?
Birmingham City spends $13,890 per student. The district has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #53 in Alabama.
What is the demographic composition of Birmingham City?
Birmingham City students are 83.9% African American, 13.1% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% White, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 43 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Birmingham City?
Birmingham City has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #53 out of 146 districts in Alabama.