Dale County

Public school district · Dale County · Alabama · NCES district ID 0101050

Dale County spent $12,213 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 71% of the other Alabama districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $12,720). Its 7 schools enrolled 3,376 students in 2024-25; 62.8% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $12,568 per student, up 2.9% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 95% or more (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 Dale County in enrollment (3,040 to 3,425 students) and Dale County itself.

Current spending per student, Alabama districts closest in size to Dale County, FY23Bessemer City Schools $15,437; Bibb County Schools $13,558; Monroe County Board of Education $13,365; Chambers County $13,105; Pelham City Schools $12,834; Cullman City Schools $12,808; Saraland City $12,300; Marion County $12,288; Dale County $12,213; Covington County Schools $11,826; State median, 1,000+ students $12,720.10k12k14k16kBessemer City Schools$15,437Bibb County Schools$13,558Monroe County Board of Educati…$13,365Chambers County$13,105Pelham City Schools$12,834Cullman City Schools$12,808Saraland City$12,300Marion County$12,288Dale County$12,213Covington County Schools$11,826State median, 1,000+ students $12,720
Current spending per student, Alabama districts closest in size to Dale County, FY23Bessemer City Schools $15,437; Bibb County Schools $13,558; Monroe County Board of Education $13,365; Chambers County $13,105; Pelham City Schools $12,834; Cullman City Schools $12,808; Saraland City $12,300; Marion County $12,288; Dale County $12,213; Covington County Schools $11,826; State median, 1,000+ students $12,720.10k12k14k16kBessemer City Schools$15,437Bibb County Schools$13,558Monroe County Board of Education$13,365Chambers County$13,105Pelham City Schools$12,834Cullman City Schools$12,808Saraland City$12,300Marion County$12,288Dale County$12,213Covington County Schools$11,826State median, 1,000+ students $12,720
Current spending per student, Alabama districts closest in size to Dale County, FY23Bessemer City Schools $15,437; Bibb County Schools $13,558; Monroe County Board of Education $13,365; Chambers County $13,105; Pelham City Schools $12,834; Cullman City Schools $12,808; Saraland City $12,300; Marion County $12,288; Dale County $12,213; Covington County Schools $11,826; State median, 1,000+ students $12,720.10k12k14k16kBessemer City Schools$15,437Bibb County Schools$13,558Monroe County Board of Education$13,365Chambers County$13,105Pelham City Schools$12,834Cullman City Schools$12,808Saraland City$12,300Marion County$12,288Dale County$12,213Covington County Schools$11,826State median, 1,000+ students $12,720
Current spending per student, Alabama districts closest in size to Dale County, FY23Bessemer City Schools $15,437; Bibb County Schools $13,558; Monroe County Board of Education $13,365; Chambers County $13,105; Pelham City Schools $12,834; Cullman City Schools $12,808; Saraland City $12,300; Marion County $12,288; Dale County $12,213; Covington County Schools $11,826; State median, 1,000+ students $12,720.10k12k14k16kBessemer City Schools$15,437Bibb County Schools$13,558Monroe County Board of Education$13,365Chambers County$13,105Pelham City Schools$12,834Cullman City Schools$12,808Saraland City$12,300Marion County$12,288Dale County$12,213Covington County Schools$11,826State median, 1,000+ students $12,720

Where the money came from

$46,559,000 in revenue: 62.8% state, 22.3% local and 14.9% federal. Total spending including $1,454,000 of capital outlay was $42,972,000, or $13,141 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Dale County revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $29,261,000; Local $10,377,000; Federal $6,921,000; total $46,559,000.
  • State$29,261,000 63%
  • Local$10,377,000 22%
  • Federal$6,921,000 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 rose from 2022-23 to 2024-25

3,270 students in 2022-23, 3,313 students in 2023-24, 3,376 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Dale County enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,270, 2023-24: 3,313, 2024-25: 3,37601k2k3k4k2022-233,2702023-243,3132024-253,376
Dale County enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,270, 2023-24: 3,313, 2024-25: 3,37601k2k3k4k2022-233,2702023-243,3132024-253,376
Dale County enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,270, 2023-24: 3,313, 2024-25: 3,37601k2k3k4k2022-233,2702023-243,3132024-253,376
Dale County enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,270, 2023-24: 3,313, 2024-25: 3,37601k2k3k4k2022-233,2702023-243,3132024-253,376

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-233,270189.717.2
2023-243,313192.117.2
2024-253,376181.218.6

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$12,288,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,758 per student

Dale County booked $12,288,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 190 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 $64,776 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 24 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).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$10,370,00084.4%
Special education$996,0008.1%
Vocational$652,0005.3%
Other programs$270,0002.2%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $2,991 in 2018-19, $3,111 in 2019-20, $3,243 in 2020-21, $3,539 in 2021-22, $3,758 in 2022-23.

Dale County teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,991, 2019-20: $3,111, 2020-21: $3,243, 2021-22: $3,539, 2022-23: $3,75801k2k3k4k2018-19$2,9912019-20$3,1112020-21$3,2432021-22$3,5392022-23$3,758
Dale County teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,991, 2019-20: $3,111, 2020-21: $3,243, 2021-22: $3,539, 2022-23: $3,75801k2k3k4k2018-19$2,9912019-20$3,1112020-21$3,2432021-22$3,5392022-23$3,758
Dale County teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,991, 2019-20: $3,111, 2020-21: $3,243, 2021-22: $3,539, 2022-23: $3,75801k2k3k4k2018-19$2,9912019-20$3,1112020-21$3,2432021-22$3,5392022-23$3,758
Dale County teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,991, 2019-20: $3,111, 2020-21: $3,243, 2021-22: $3,539, 2022-23: $3,75801k2k3k4k2018-19$2,9912019-20$3,1112020-21$3,2432021-22$3,5392022-23$3,758

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 Dale County scored proficient or above: 52% in reading and 39% 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.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtAlabamaStudents tested
Reading and language arts52%47.3%1,677
Math39%27.2%1,674

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

95% or more of the 197 students in Dale County's 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.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtAlabama
Four-year graduation rate95% or more90%
Students in the class19752,928

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.

3 elementary schools, 1,263 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
GW Long Elementary School49216.944.7%Targeted program
Midland City Elementary School47819.969.7%Targeted program
Newton Elementary School29318.357.7%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, 412 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
South Dale Middle School41222.269.7%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.

2 high schools, 814 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Dale County High School43718.459.0%Targeted program
George W Long High School37717.740.6%Not Title I

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 other school, 887 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Ariton School88718.347.2%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.

Contact Dale County

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 Dale County

  1. Alabama districts by spending per studentDale County ranks 92 of 130 Alabama districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($12,213).#92 of 130
  2. Every school district in AlabamaDale County is the number 59 by size of 149 Alabama districts, with 3,270 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#59 of 149
  3. Marion CountyThe next larger Alabama district: 3,329 students in fall 2022, $12,288 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$12,288
  4. Bessemer City SchoolsThe next smaller Alabama district: 3,246 students in fall 2022, $15,437 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$15,437
  5. Compare Dale County with Marion CountyEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Dale County High School, its largest high school437 students in 2024-25, 18.4 per teacher.437
  7. Teacher salary spending across AlabamaDale County spent $64,776 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $66,861); spending, not a salary.$64,776
  8. 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 Dale County

  1. How many schools and students are in Dale County?
    7 schools were open in 2024-25 (3 elementary, 1 middle, 2 high, 1 other), enrolling 3,376 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Dale County spend per student?
    $12,213 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 $12,568 per student, up 2.9% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Dale County's money come from?
    $46,559,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 62.8% state, 22.3% local and 14.9% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Dale County live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 563 of the 2,625 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 21.4%, 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.
  5. How much does Dale County spend on teacher salaries?
    $12,288,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,758 per student. Divided by the 190 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $64,776 per teacher, more than 24 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).
  6. How do students in Dale County do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Dale County scored proficient or above: 52% in reading and 39% 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.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Dale County?
    95% or more of the 197 students in Dale County's 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.
  8. What is Dale County's NCES district ID?
    0101050. 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

Compiled from official source data by .