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Huntsville, Alabama - 28 schools
An equity score of 14/100 ranks Madison County #142 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,543 per pupil, Madison County ranks #134 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
20,551
Total Enrollment
28
Schools
$10,543
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Madison County operates 28 public schools serving 20,551 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 17 combined, 5 high, 4 middle, 2 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage 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 $10,543 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 33.2% local, 55.4% state, and 11.5% 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 14/100, ranked #142 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 7 of 28 schools offering Advanced Placement (62 AP courses district-wide), a 493.3:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 12.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 56.3% White, 22.0% African American, 8.7% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Sparkman Middle School, with a diversity index of 69.8/100.
Its largest campus is Sparkman High School, enrolling 1,770 students (9% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Walnut Grove School, at 303 students, a 6x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Madison County school enrollment varies 5.8× across entities
Madison County school enrollment ranges from 303 students (lowest) to 1,770 students (highest), a spread of 1,467 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 County student-counselor ratio is 493:1 — 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 County chronic absenteeism rate is 12.0% — low (typically associated with lower-than-average attendance disruption; districts in this range often have attendance interventions, robust transportation, or smaller catchments that reduce barriers)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Madison County has 28 schools, including 5 high, 4 middle, 17 combined, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 20,551 students.
How much does Madison County spend per student?
Madison County spends $10,543 per student. The district has an equity score of 14/100, ranking #142 in Alabama.
What is the demographic composition of Madison County?
Madison County students are 56.3% White, 22.0% African American, 8.7% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% Asian, averaged across 28 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Madison County?
Madison County has an equity score of 14/100, ranking #142 out of 146 districts in Alabama.