Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Gadsden, Alabama - 22 schools
An equity score of 40/100 ranks Etowah County #103 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,738 per pupil, Etowah County ranks #131 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Etowah County operates 22 public schools serving 8,702 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 14 combined, 4 high, 3 middle, 1 elementary 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 Etowah County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,738 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the bottom 15 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending. See how Alabama compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 16.7% local, 64.9% state, and 18.3% 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 40/100, ranked #103 of 146 in Alabama against a state average of 51, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 4 of 22 schools offering Advanced Placement (22 AP courses district-wide), a 416.1:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 26.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 80.1% White, 7.5% African American, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Carlisle Elementary School, with a diversity index of 47.4/100.
Its largest campus is Southside High School, enrolling 825 students (9% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Etowah County Special Education Learning Center, at 1 students, a 825x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Etowah County school enrollment ranges from 1 students (lowest) to 825 students (highest), a spread of 824 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data
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.
Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system
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.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection
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 Etowah County is typically wider than the Etowah County-aggregate figure suggests.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 22 schools in Etowah County.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Etowah County's schools, below the Alabama average of 42.5.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
The Alabama districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dekalb County | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Decatur City | Similar size | Higher spending | More locally funded |
| Dothan City | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Autauga County | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Lee County | Similar size | Similar spending | More locally funded |
Comparisons are relative to Etowah County's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Mobile County →Etowah County has 22 schools, including 4 high, 14 combined, 3 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 8,702 students.
Etowah County spends $10,738 per student. The district has an equity score of 40/100, ranking #103 in Alabama.
Etowah County students are 80.1% White, 7.5% African American, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 22 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Etowah County has an equity score of 40/100, ranking #103 out of 146 districts in Alabama.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.