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.
Selma, Alabama - 9 schools
An equity score of 84/100 ranks Selma City #5 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,289 per pupil, Selma City ranks #22 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,587
Total Enrollment
9
Schools
$14,289
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Selma City operates 9 public schools serving 2,587 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 combined, 2 elementary, 2 middle, 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 Dallas County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,289 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 17.5% local, 53.2% state, and 29.3% 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 84/100, ranked #5 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 239.7:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 24.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 95.1% African American, 1.8% White, 0.8% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Meadowview Elementary School, with a diversity index of 19.0/100.
Its largest campus is Selma High School, enrolling 680 students (27% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Saints Virtual Academy, at 24 students, a 28x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Selma High School accounts for 26.3% of all Selma City student enrollment
That concentration means Selma 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.
Selma City school enrollment varies 28× across entities
Selma City school enrollment ranges from 24 students (lowest) to 680 students (highest), a spread of 656 students. That spread is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Selma City has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 83.3% 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). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. 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.
Selma City student-counselor ratio is 240:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Selma City chronic absenteeism rate is 24.4% — 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 Selma City is typically wider than the Selma City-aggregate figure suggests.
Selma City has 9 schools, including 1 high, 2 elementary, 4 combined, 2 middle. Total enrollment is 2,587 students.
How much does Selma City spend per student?
Selma City spends $14,289 per student. The district has an equity score of 84/100, ranking #5 in Alabama.
What is the demographic composition of Selma City?
Selma City students are 95.1% African American, 1.8% White, 0.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 9 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Selma City?
Selma City has an equity score of 84/100, ranking #5 out of 146 districts in Alabama.