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, or
report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Madison, Alabama - 11 schools
An equity score of 23/100 ranks Madison City #137 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,744 per pupil, Madison City ranks #130 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
12,473
Total Enrollment
11
Schools
$10,744
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Madison City operates 11 public schools serving 12,473 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 combined, 2 high, 2 middle, 1 elementary 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 Madison County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,744 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending. See how Alabama compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 44.2% local, 47.9% state, and 7.9% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 23/100, ranked #137 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 2 of 11 schools offering Advanced Placement (67 AP courses district-wide), a 578.2:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 8.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 54.0% White, 19.5% African American, 9.2% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Madison Elementary School, with a diversity index of 67.7/100.
Its largest campus is James Clemens High School, enrolling 2,159 students (18% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Horizon Elementary School, at 567 students, a 4x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
James Clemens High School accounts for 17.3% of all Madison City student enrollment
That concentration means Madison 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.
Madison City school enrollment varies 3.8× across entities
Madison City school enrollment ranges from 567 students (lowest) to 2,159 students (highest), a spread of 1,592 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.
Madison City student-counselor ratio is 578:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Madison City chronic absenteeism rate is 8.2% — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)
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 Values this far below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.
Madison City has 11 schools, including 2 high, 2 middle, 6 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 12,473 students.
How much does Madison City spend per student?
Madison City spends $10,744 per student. The district has an equity score of 23/100, ranking #137 in Alabama.
What is the demographic composition of Madison City?
Madison City students are 54.0% White, 19.5% African American, 9.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, averaged across 11 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Madison City?
Madison City has an equity score of 23/100, ranking #137 out of 146 districts in Alabama.