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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Gadsden, Alabama - 22 schools
An equity score of 39/100 ranks Etowah County #105 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,215 per pupil, Etowah County ranks #135 of 147 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 $11,215 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the bottom 15 of 147 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 39/100, ranked #105 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
The reported share clears the 50% majority mark. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
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.
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.
This district scores below average on funding equity. High reliance on local revenue or lower spending may contribute.
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 | Higher 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.
Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.
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 $11,215 per student. The district has an equity score of 39/100, ranking #105 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 39/100, ranking #105 out of 146 districts in Alabama.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.