Huntsville City
Public school district · Madison County · Alabama · NCES district ID 0101800
Huntsville City spent $13,146 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 63% of the other Alabama districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $12,720). Its 43 schools enrolled 23,884 students in 2024-25; 39.5% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $14,207 per student, up 8.1% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 93% (Alabama: 90%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among Alabama's largest districts
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. Among the 10 districts shown, Huntsville City ranks 3.
Where the money came from
$434,199,000 in revenue: 39.5% state, 46.6% local and 13.9% federal. Total spending including $27,149,000 of capital outlay was $350,970,000, or $14,762 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$171,402,000 39%
- Local$202,327,000 47%
- Federal$60,470,000 14%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 130 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment held steady from 2022-23 to 2024-25
23,776 students in 2022-23, 23,649 students in 2023-24, 23,884 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 23,776 | 1315.0 | 18.1 |
| 2023-24 | 23,649 | 1379.9 | 17.1 |
| 2024-25 | 23,884 | 1353.1 | 17.7 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$88,717,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,731 per student
Huntsville City booked $88,717,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 1,315 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $67,464 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 55 in 100 Alabama districts with a figure (state median $66,861, 140 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Alabama teacher salary at $55,834 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $72,647,000 | 81.9% |
| Special education | $9,343,000 | 10.5% |
| Vocational | $3,846,000 | 4.3% |
| Other programs | $2,881,000 | 3.2% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,366 in 2018-19, $3,478 in 2019-20, $3,544 in 2020-21, $3,604 in 2021-22, $3,731 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Huntsville City scored proficient or above: 48% in reading and 25% in math, against 47.3% in reading and 27.2% in math across Alabama. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Alabama, not across states.
| Subject | This district | Alabama | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 48% | 47.3% | 11,823 |
| Math | 25% | 27.2% | 11,846 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Graduation rate, class of 2023
93% of the 1,491 students in Huntsville City's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 90% across Alabama. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | Alabama | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 93% | 90% |
| Students in the class | 1,491 | 52,928 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
26 elementary schools, 12,347 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence Elementary | 1,152 | 21.3 | 59.2% | Targeted program |
| GoldsmithSchiffman Elementary | 935 | 17.4 | 12.4% | Not Title I |
| Hampton Cove Elementary | 711 | 18.1 | 6.6% | Not Title I |
| Blossomwood Elementary School | 596 | 15.9 | 50.5% | Targeted program |
| Sonnie Hereford Elementary School | 578 | 18.6 | 79.4% | Targeted program |
| Morris Elementary School | 532 | 18.0 | 71.2% | Targeted program |
| McDonnell Elementary School | 511 | 18.9 | 66.5% | Targeted program |
| Challenger Elementary School | 491 | 17.5 | 31.8% | Not Title I |
| Williams Elementary School | 484 | 17.9 | 46.1% | Not Title I |
| Rolling Hills Elementary School | 483 | 17.0 | 72.3% | Targeted program |
| Weatherly Heights Elementary School | 472 | 15.7 | 28.6% | Not Title I |
| Jones Valley Elementary School | 471 | 17.4 | 26.8% | Not Title I |
The other 14 elementary schools
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ridgecrest Elementary School | 463 | 15.4 | 69.8% | Targeted program |
| Martin Luther King Jr Elementary School | 458 | 17.0 | 79.9% | Targeted program |
| James Dawson Elementary | 447 | 17.1 | 70.7% | Targeted program |
| Academy For Academics Arts Elementary School | 400 | 17.4 | 48.3% | Not Title I |
| Lakewood Elementary School | 397 | 17.3 | 75.1% | Targeted program |
| Roger B Chaffee Elementary School | 396 | 16.0 | 46.0% | Not Title I |
| Whitesburg Elementary School | 379 | 15.8 | 52.0% | Targeted program |
| Highlands Elementary School | 370 | 17.1 | 72.2% | Targeted program |
| Mountain Gap Elementary School | 341 | 17.2 | 31.4% | Not Title I |
| Farley Elementary School | 334 | 17.8 | 28.7% | Not Title I |
| Academy For Science Foreign Language | 303 | 13.8 | 44.2% | Not Title I |
| Monte Sano Elementary School | 263 | 15.7 | 9.9% | Not Title I |
| Montview Elementary School | 213 | 16.5 | 74.2% | Targeted program |
| Chapman Elementary School | 167 | 15.1 | 55.1% | Targeted program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
11 middle schools, 4,866 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton Cove Middle School | 785 | 22.4 | 10.7% | Not Title I |
| Williams Middle School | 659 | 22.0 | 49.9% | Not Title I |
| Whitesburg Middle School | 535 | 18.4 | 57.9% | Targeted program |
| Huntsville Junior High School | 530 | 20.8 | 50.0% | Targeted program |
| Challenger Middle School | 425 | 18.5 | 35.3% | Not Title I |
| Morris Middle School | 397 | 15.9 | 74.1% | Targeted program |
| Ronald McNair 78 | 390 | 19.5 | 77.4% | Targeted program |
| Mountain Gap Middle School | 366 | 15.9 | 33.6% | Not Title I |
| Chapman Middle School | 315 | 15.1 | 77.5% | Targeted program |
| Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School | 270 | 13.8 | 43.7% | Not Title I |
| Academy For Science Foreign Language Middle School | 194 | 14.9 | 47.9% | Not Title I |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
6 high schools, 6,671 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virgil Grissom High School | 1,847 | 18.6 | 35.0% | Not Title I |
| Huntsville High School | 1,807 | 17.5 | 32.3% | Not Title I |
| Columbia High School | 916 | 17.0 | 57.5% | Targeted program |
| Lee High School | 877 | 18.1 | 59.7% | Targeted program |
| Jemison High School | 858 | 19.5 | 69.5% | Targeted program |
| New Century Technology High School | 366 | 13.6 | 20.8% | Not Title I |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
Contact Huntsville City
- Website: huntsvillecityschools.org
- Phone: (256) 428-6812
- Office: 714 Bob Wallace Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35801
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Huntsville City
- Alabama districts by spending per studentHuntsville City ranks 49 of 130 Alabama districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($13,146).#49 of 130
- Every school district in AlabamaHuntsville City is the number 5 by size of 149 Alabama districts, with 23,776 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#5 of 149
- Montgomery CountyThe next larger Alabama district: 26,821 students in fall 2022, $12,977 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$12,977
- Shelby CountyThe next smaller Alabama district: 21,179 students in fall 2022, $12,436 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$12,436
- Compare Huntsville City with Montgomery CountyEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Virgil Grissom High School, its largest high school1,847 students in 2024-25, 18.6 per teacher.1,847
- Teacher salary spending across AlabamaHuntsville City spent $67,464 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $66,861); spending, not a salary.$67,464
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Huntsville City
How many schools and students are in Huntsville City?
43 schools were open in 2024-25 (26 elementary, 11 middle, 6 high), enrolling 23,884 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Huntsville City spend per student?
$13,146 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Alabama median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $12,720 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $14,207 per student, up 8.1% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Huntsville City's money come from?
$434,199,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 39.5% state, 46.6% local and 13.9% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Huntsville City live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 4,625 of the 32,629 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 14.2%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Huntsville City spend on teacher salaries?
$88,717,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,731 per student. Divided by the 1,315 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $67,464 per teacher, more than 55 in 100 Alabama districts (state median $66,861). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Alabama teacher salary at $55,834 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in Huntsville City do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Huntsville City scored proficient or above: 48% in reading and 25% in math, against 47.3% in reading and 27.2% in math across Alabama. Alabama's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is the graduation rate in Huntsville City?
93% of the 1,491 students in Huntsville City's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 90% across Alabama. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Huntsville City's NCES district ID?
0101800. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25