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Dothan, Alabama - 16 schools
An equity score of 53/100 ranks Dothan City #67 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,004 per pupil, Dothan City ranks #77 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
8,254
Total Enrollment
16
Schools
$12,004
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Dothan City operates 16 public schools serving 8,254 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 11 elementary, 2 high, 2 combined, 1 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly 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 Houston County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,004 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 21.5% local, 53.0% state, and 25.5% 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 53/100, ranked #67 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 3 of 16 schools offering Advanced Placement (27 AP courses district-wide), a 430.8:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 32.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 61.1% African American, 23.6% White, 9.4% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Carver School of Mathematics Science and Technology, with a diversity index of 65.0/100.
Its largest campus is Dothan High School, enrolling 1,588 students (19% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Dothan City Early Education Center, at 183 students, a 9x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Dothan High School accounts for 19.2% of all Dothan City student enrollment
That concentration means Dothan 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.
Dothan City school enrollment varies 8.7× across entities
Dothan City school enrollment ranges from 183 students (lowest) to 1,588 students (highest), a spread of 1,405 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Dothan City has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 75.9% 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.
Dothan City student-counselor ratio is 431:1 — 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.
Dothan City chronic absenteeism rate is 32.1% — 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.
Dothan City has 16 schools, including 2 high, 1 middle, 11 elementary, 2 combined. Total enrollment is 8,254 students.
How much does Dothan City spend per student?
Dothan City spends $12,004 per student. The district has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #67 in Alabama.
What is the demographic composition of Dothan City?
Dothan City students are 61.1% African American, 23.6% White, 9.4% Hispanic or Latino, 2.1% Asian, averaged across 16 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Dothan City?
Dothan City has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #67 out of 146 districts in Alabama.