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Gadsden, Alabama - 12 schools
An equity score of 65/100 ranks Gadsden City #32 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,669 per pupil, Gadsden City ranks #47 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
4,939
Total Enrollment
12
Schools
$12,669
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Gadsden City operates 12 public schools serving 4,939 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 8 combined, 3 middle, 1 high 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 Etowah County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,669 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending. See how Alabama compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 18.6% local, 57.1% state, and 24.3% 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 65/100, ranked #32 of 146 in Alabama against a state average of 51, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 12 schools offering Advanced Placement (11 AP courses district-wide), a 326.8:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 22.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 43.6% African American, 29.8% White, 22.1% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Sansom Middle School, with a diversity index of 69.0/100.
Its largest campus is Gadsden City High School, enrolling 1,361 students (28% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Walnut Park Elementary School, at 218 students, a 6x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Gadsden City High School accounts for 27.6% of all Gadsden City student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Gadsden 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.
Gadsden City school enrollment varies 6.2× across entities
Gadsden City school enrollment ranges from 218 students (lowest) to 1,361 students (highest), a spread of 1,143 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.
Gadsden City has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 75.6% 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.
Gadsden City student-counselor ratio is 327:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Gadsden City is typically wider than the Gadsden City-aggregate figure suggests.
Gadsden City chronic absenteeism rate is 22.5% — 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 Gadsden City is typically wider than the Gadsden City-aggregate figure suggests.
Gadsden City has 12 schools, including 1 high, 3 middle, 8 combined. Total enrollment is 4,939 students.
How much does Gadsden City spend per student?
Gadsden City spends $12,669 per student. The district has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #32 in Alabama.
What is the demographic composition of Gadsden City?
Gadsden City students are 43.6% African American, 29.8% White, 22.1% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 12 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Gadsden City?
Gadsden City has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #32 out of 146 districts in Alabama.