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Hamilton, Alabama - 11 schools
An equity score of 48/100 ranks Marion County #84 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,121 per pupil, Marion County ranks #121 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,329
Total Enrollment
11
Schools
$11,121
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Marion County operates 11 public schools serving 3,329 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 9 combined, 1 elementary, 1 high 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 Marion County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,121 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 21.2% local, 59.0% state, and 19.8% 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 48/100, ranked #84 of 146 in Alabama against a state average of 51, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 4 of 11 schools offering Advanced Placement (7 AP courses district-wide), a 385:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 28.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 85.8% White, 6.8% Hispanic or Latino, 3.5% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Hamilton Elementary School, with a diversity index of 39.6/100.
Its largest campus is Hamilton Elementary School, enrolling 638 students (19% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Marion County Alternative School, at 15 students, a 43x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Hamilton Elementary School accounts for 19.2% of all Marion County student enrollment
That concentration means Marion County-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. 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.
Marion County school enrollment varies 43× across entities
Marion County school enrollment ranges from 15 students (lowest) to 638 students (highest), a spread of 623 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Marion County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 63.0% 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). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. 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.
Marion County student-counselor ratio is 385:1 — 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.
Marion County chronic absenteeism rate is 28.0% — 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 Marion County is typically wider than the Marion County-aggregate figure suggests.
Marion County has 11 schools, including 9 combined, 1 elementary, 1 high. Total enrollment is 3,329 students.
How much does Marion County spend per student?
Marion County spends $11,121 per student. The district has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #84 in Alabama.
What is the demographic composition of Marion County?
Marion County students are 85.8% White, 6.8% Hispanic or Latino, 3.5% African American, 0.6% Asian, averaged across 11 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Marion County?
Marion County has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #84 out of 146 districts in Alabama.