Cherokee County Schools
Listed by NCES as Cherokee County (district ID 0100630)
Public school district · Cherokee County · Alabama · NCES district ID 0100630
Cherokee County Schools spent $13,179 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 64% of the other Alabama districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $12,720). Its 7 schools enrolled 3,860 students in 2024-25; 59.0% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $13,383 per student, up 1.5% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 92% (Alabama: 90%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among Alabama districts of similar size
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Cherokee County Schools in enrollment (3,425 to 4,371 students) and Cherokee County Schools itself.
Where the money came from
$64,369,000 in revenue: 59.0% state, 25.9% local and 15.1% federal. Total spending including $10,432,000 of capital outlay was $64,546,000, or $16,610 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$37,987,000 59%
- Local$16,687,000 26%
- Federal$9,695,000 15%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 130 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment held steady from 2022-23 to 2024-25
3,886 students in 2022-23, 3,917 students in 2023-24, 3,860 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 3,886 | 226.0 | 17.2 |
| 2023-24 | 3,917 | 224.5 | 17.4 |
| 2024-25 | 3,860 | 218.0 | 17.7 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$16,020,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,122 per student
Cherokee County Schools booked $16,020,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 227 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $70,585 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 78 in 100 Alabama districts with a figure (state median $66,861, 140 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Alabama teacher salary at $55,834 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $12,601,000 | 78.7% |
| Special education | $1,676,000 | 10.5% |
| Vocational | $1,251,000 | 7.8% |
| Other programs | $492,000 | 3.1% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,362 in 2018-19, $3,506 in 2019-20, $3,591 in 2020-21, $3,863 in 2021-22, $4,122 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Cherokee County Schools scored proficient or above: 51% in reading and 27% in math, against 47.3% in reading and 27.2% in math across Alabama. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Alabama, not across states.
| Subject | This district | Alabama | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 51% | 47.3% | 1,890 |
| Math | 27% | 27.2% | 1,906 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Graduation rate, class of 2023
92% of the 270 students in Cherokee County Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 90% across Alabama. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | Alabama | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 92% | 90% |
| Students in the class | 270 | 52,928 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
1 elementary school, 665 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centre Elementary School | 665 | 17.1 | 53.2% | Targeted program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
1 middle school, 450 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centre Middle School | 450 | 20.9 | 56.0% | Targeted program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
1 high school, 448 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County High School | 448 | 18.9 | 47.8% | Targeted program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
4 other schools, 2,297 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sand Rock High School | 783 | 18.3 | 46.6% | Targeted program |
| Cedar Bluff High School | 623 | 16.7 | 56.0% | Targeted program |
| Spring Garden High School | 550 | 17.4 | 50.2% | Targeted program |
| Gaylesville High School | 341 | 15.5 | 61.9% | Targeted program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
Contact Cherokee County Schools
- Website: cherokeek12.org
- Phone: (256) 927-3362
- Office: 130 E Main St, Centre, AL 35960
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Cherokee County Schools
- Alabama districts by spending per studentCherokee County Schools ranks 47 of 130 Alabama districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($13,179).#47 of 130
- Every school district in AlabamaCherokee County Schools is the number 51 by size of 149 Alabama districts, with 3,886 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#51 of 149
- Pell City SchoolsThe next larger Alabama district: 4,157 students in fall 2022, $11,931 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$11,931
- Russell County School DistrictThe next smaller Alabama district: 3,695 students in fall 2022, $12,199 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$12,199
- Compare Cherokee County Schools with Pell City SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Cherokee County High School, its largest high school448 students in 2024-25, 18.9 per teacher.448
- Teacher salary spending across AlabamaCherokee County Schools spent $70,585 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $66,861); spending, not a salary.$70,585
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Cherokee County Schools
How many schools and students are in Cherokee County Schools?
7 schools were open in 2024-25 (1 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high, 4 other), enrolling 3,860 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Cherokee County Schools spend per student?
$13,179 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Alabama median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $12,720 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $13,383 per student, up 1.5% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Cherokee County Schools' money come from?
$64,369,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 59.0% state, 25.9% local and 15.1% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Cherokee County Schools live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 731 of the 3,551 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 20.6%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Cherokee County Schools spend on teacher salaries?
$16,020,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,122 per student. Divided by the 227 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $70,585 per teacher, more than 78 in 100 Alabama districts (state median $66,861). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Alabama teacher salary at $55,834 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in Cherokee County Schools do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Cherokee County Schools scored proficient or above: 51% in reading and 27% in math, against 47.3% in reading and 27.2% in math across Alabama. Alabama's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is the graduation rate in Cherokee County Schools?
92% of the 270 students in Cherokee County Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 90% across Alabama. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Cherokee County Schools' NCES district ID?
0100630. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25