Sumter County

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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.

Livingston, Alabama - 4 schools

An equity score of 83/100 ranks Sumter County #6 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $19,216 per pupil, Sumter County ranks #5 of 147 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

1,006
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$19,216
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Sumter County operates 4 public schools serving 1,006 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 combined, 1 high 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 Sumter County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $19,216 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 15 of 147 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending. See how Alabama compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 25.4% local, 54.5% state, and 20.2% 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 83/100, ranked #6 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.

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. Its most demographically mixed campus is Sumter Central High School, with a diversity index of 5.7/100.

Its largest campus is Sumter Central High School, enrolling 526 students (52% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Kinterbish Junior High School, at 114 students, a 5x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Sumter Central High School accounts for 51.8% of all Sumter County student enrollment

That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Sumter County a distant remainder — means Sumter County-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: high. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Because it contains a majority of the affected population, enrollment-weighted aggregates will sit closer to this entity's reported fields than to those of smaller peers; an unweighted entity count answers a different question.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Sumter County reports 89.8% free-lunch eligibility

The reported share is above 87.5%, so economic need is widespread across the measured student population. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

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.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Sumter County chronic absenteeism rate is 43.5% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

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 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.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

20.2%
Federal
54.5%
State
25.4%
Local

Funding Equity

83
Equity Score
6 / 146
State Rank
51
State Average

This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 4 schools in Sumter County.

Hispanic or Latino 0.6%
African American 97.7%
Multiracial 1.1%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 4.5/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Sumter County's schools, below the Alabama average of 42.5.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Sumter Central High School 5.7
  2. 2 York West End Junior High School 4.9
  3. 3 Livingston Junior High School 2.8

Programs & Resources

1 / 4
Schools with AP
3 AP courses total
188:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
43.5%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Sumter County

School Enrollment
Sumter Central High School
526
Livingston Junior High School
216
York West End Junior High School
159
Kinterbish Junior High School
114

How Sumter County Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Alabama districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Sheffield City Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Midfield City Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Lanett City Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Thomasville City Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Marengo County Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to Sumter County's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Alabama

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Mobile County
51,979 students · 92 schools · $13,245/pupil
Compare vs Sumter County →
Jefferson County
35,951 students · 57 schools · $12,194/pupil
Compare vs Sumter County →
Baldwin County
31,517 students · 45 schools · $13,089/pupil
Compare vs Sumter County →
Montgomery County
26,821 students · 52 schools · $12,977/pupil
Compare vs Sumter County →
Huntsville City
23,776 students · 45 schools · $13,146/pupil
Compare vs Sumter County →

Nationwide districts with similar enrollment or spending

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.

Compare Sumter County

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Mobile County →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Sumter County?

Sumter County has 4 schools, including 1 high, 3 combined. Total enrollment is 1,006 students.

How much does Sumter County spend per student?

Sumter County spends $19,216 per student. The district has an equity score of 83/100, ranking #6 in Alabama.

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 83/100, ranking #6 out of 146 districts in Alabama.