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Phenix City, Alabama - 11 schools
An equity score of 58/100 ranks Phenix City #49 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,818 per pupil, Phenix City ranks #84 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
7,218
Total Enrollment
11
Schools
$11,818
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Phenix City operates 11 public schools serving 7,218 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 combined, 2 high, 2 middle, 2 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 Russell County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,818 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 19.1% local, 57.8% state, and 23.2% 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 58/100, ranked #49 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 1 of 11 schools offering Advanced Placement (12 AP courses district-wide), a 576.3:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 24.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 59.6% African American, 22.7% White, 9.9% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Lakewood Primary School, with a diversity index of 66.7/100.
Its largest campus is Central High School, enrolling 1,579 students (22% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Meadowlane Elementary School, at 155 students, a 10x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Central High School accounts for 21.9% of all Phenix City student enrollment
That concentration means Phenix 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.
Phenix City school enrollment varies 10× across entities
Phenix City school enrollment ranges from 155 students (lowest) to 1,579 students (highest), a spread of 1,424 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Phenix City has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 71.2% 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.
Phenix City student-counselor ratio is 576:1 — 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.
Phenix City chronic absenteeism rate is 24.2% — 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 Phenix City is typically wider than the Phenix City-aggregate figure suggests.
Phenix City has 11 schools, including 2 high, 2 middle, 5 combined, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 7,218 students.
How much does Phenix City spend per student?
Phenix City spends $11,818 per student. The district has an equity score of 58/100, ranking #49 in Alabama.
What is the demographic composition of Phenix City?
Phenix City students are 59.6% African American, 22.7% White, 9.9% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% Asian, averaged across 11 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Phenix City?
Phenix City has an equity score of 58/100, ranking #49 out of 146 districts in Alabama.