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Heflin, Alabama - 7 schools
An equity score of 47/100 ranks Cleburne County #88 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,307 per pupil, Cleburne County ranks #115 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,507
Total Enrollment
7
Schools
$11,307
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Cleburne County operates 7 public schools serving 2,507 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 combined, 1 elementary 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 Cleburne County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,307 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending. See how Alabama compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 18.5% local, 66.5% state, and 15.0% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 47/100, ranked #88 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 1 of 7 schools offering Advanced Placement (3 AP courses district-wide), a 408.6:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 18.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 87.8% White, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 2.4% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Pleasant Grove Elementary School, with a diversity index of 42.5/100.
Its largest campus is Cleburne County High School, enrolling 555 students (22% of the district's total enrollment).
Cleburne County High School accounts for 22.1% of all Cleburne County student enrollment
That concentration means Cleburne County-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. 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.
Cleburne County school enrollment varies 2.7× across entities
Cleburne County school enrollment ranges from 206 students (lowest) to 555 students (highest), a spread of 349 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.
Cleburne County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 55.7% 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 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.
Cleburne County 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.
Cleburne County chronic absenteeism rate is 18.9% — 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 Cleburne County is typically wider than the Cleburne County-aggregate figure suggests.
Cleburne County has 7 schools, including 6 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 2,507 students.
How much does Cleburne County spend per student?
Cleburne County spends $11,307 per student. The district has an equity score of 47/100, ranking #88 in Alabama.
What is the demographic composition of Cleburne County?
Cleburne County students are 87.8% White, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 2.4% African American, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 7 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Cleburne County?
Cleburne County has an equity score of 47/100, ranking #88 out of 146 districts in Alabama.