Lee County operates 14 public schools serving 9,312 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 9 other, 3 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 9,489 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Lee County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,877 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 32.3% local, 53.3% state, and 14.4% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $64,615 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 42/100, ranked #98 of 146 in Alabama against a state average of 51 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 4 of 14 schools offering Advanced Placement (27 AP courses district-wide), a 550.6:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 27.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 57.0% White, 24.7% African American, 11.5% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools.
Smiths Station High School accounts for 16.7% of all Lee County student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Lee County-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.
Lee County school enrollment varies 5.7× across entities
Lee County school enrollment ranges from 277 students (lowest) to 1,588 students (highest), a spread of 1,311 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.
Lee County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 61.0% 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.
Lee County student-counselor ratio is 551:1 — 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.
Lee County chronic absenteeism rate is 27.1% — 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 Lee County is typically wider than the Lee County-aggregate figure suggests.
Lee County has 14 schools, including 3 high, 1 middle, 9 other, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 9,312 students.
How much does Lee County spend per student?
Lee County spends $12,877 per student. The district has an equity score of 42/100, ranking #98 in Alabama.
What is the average teacher salary in Lee County?
The average teacher salary in Lee County is $64,615 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near Lee County?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Lee County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of Lee County?
Lee County students are 57.0% White, 24.7% African American, 11.5% Hispanic or Latino, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 14 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Lee County?
Lee County has an equity score of 42/100, ranking #98 out of 146 districts in Alabama. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.