Sumter County operates 4 public schools serving 1,006 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 other, 1 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 1,015 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Sumter County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,025 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 25.4% local, 54.5% state, and 20.2% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $65,596 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 80/100, ranked #7 of 146 in Alabama against a state average of 51 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 4 schools offering Advanced Placement (3 AP courses district-wide), a 188:1 student-counselor ratio that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 43.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 97.7% African American, 0.6% Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% Asian across the district's schools.
Sumter Central High School accounts for 51.8% of all Sumter County student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Sumter County-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.
Sumter County school enrollment varies 4.6× across entities
Sumter County school enrollment ranges from 114 students (lowest) to 526 students (highest), a spread of 412 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.
Sumter County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 87.3% 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.
Sumter County student-counselor ratio is 188:1 — 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.
Sumter County chronic absenteeism rate is 43.5% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Sumter County has 4 schools, including 1 high, 3 other. Total enrollment is 1,006 students.
How much does Sumter County spend per student?
Sumter County spends $17,025 per student. The district has an equity score of 80/100, ranking #7 in Alabama.
What is the average teacher salary in Sumter County?
The average teacher salary in Sumter County is $65,596 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near Sumter County?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Sumter County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of Sumter County?
Sumter County students are 97.7% African American, 0.6% Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% White, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Sumter County?
Sumter County has an equity score of 80/100, ranking #7 out of 146 districts in Alabama. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.