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Carrollton, Alabama - 6 schools
An equity score of 63/100 ranks Pickens County #36 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,560 per pupil, Pickens County ranks #55 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,373
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$12,560
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Pickens County operates 6 public schools serving 2,373 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Pickens County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,560 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending. See how Alabama compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 18.7% local, 60.1% state, and 21.2% 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 63/100, ranked #36 of 146 in Alabama against a state average of 51, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 311.8:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 14.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 64.5% African American, 28.0% White, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Gordo Elementary School, with a diversity index of 57.5/100.
Its largest campus is Gordo Elementary School, enrolling 545 students (25% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Reform Elementary School, at 174 students, a 3x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Gordo Elementary School accounts for 23.0% of all Pickens County student enrollment
That concentration means Pickens 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.
Pickens County school enrollment varies 3.1× across entities
Pickens County school enrollment ranges from 174 students (lowest) to 545 students (highest), a spread of 371 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.
Pickens County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 70.4% 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.
Pickens County student-counselor ratio is 312:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Pickens County is typically wider than the Pickens County-aggregate figure suggests.
Pickens County chronic absenteeism rate is 14.3% — 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.
Pickens County has 6 schools, including 6 combined. Total enrollment is 2,373 students.
How much does Pickens County spend per student?
Pickens County spends $12,560 per student. The district has an equity score of 63/100, ranking #36 in Alabama.
What is the demographic composition of Pickens County?
Pickens County students are 64.5% African American, 28.0% White, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% Asian, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Pickens County?
Pickens County has an equity score of 63/100, ranking #36 out of 146 districts in Alabama.