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Dothan, Alabama - 13 schools
An equity score of 31/100 ranks Houston County #121 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,538 per pupil, Houston County ranks #135 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
6,883
Total Enrollment
13
Schools
$10,538
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Houston County operates 13 public schools serving 6,883 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 9 combined, 2 high, 2 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 $10,538 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 24.8% local, 58.7% state, and 16.5% 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 31/100, ranked #121 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.
a 409.4:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 22.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 69.3% White, 18.6% African American, 7.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Houston County High School, with a diversity index of 60.9/100.
Its largest campus is Rehobeth High School, enrolling 786 students (13% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Houston County Virtual Academy, at 246 students, a 3x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Houston County school enrollment varies 3.2× across entities
Houston County school enrollment ranges from 246 students (lowest) to 786 students (highest), a spread of 540 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.
Houston County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 59.2% 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 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.
Houston County student-counselor ratio is 409:1 — 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.
Houston County chronic absenteeism rate is 22.9% — 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 Houston County is typically wider than the Houston County-aggregate figure suggests.
Houston County has 13 schools, including 2 high, 9 combined, 2 middle. Total enrollment is 6,883 students.
How much does Houston County spend per student?
Houston County spends $10,538 per student. The district has an equity score of 31/100, ranking #121 in Alabama.
What is the demographic composition of Houston County?
Houston County students are 69.3% White, 18.6% African American, 7.6% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% Asian, averaged across 13 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Houston County?
Houston County has an equity score of 31/100, ranking #121 out of 146 districts in Alabama.