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.
Tuscaloosa, Alabama - 19 schools
An equity score of 53/100 ranks Tuscaloosa City #69 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,227 per pupil, Tuscaloosa City ranks #37 of 147 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Tuscaloosa City operates 19 public schools serving 11,186 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 11 combined, 4 middle, 3 high, 1 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 Tuscaloosa County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,227 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 147 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending. See how Alabama compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 39.7% local, 42.3% state, and 18.0% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 53/100, ranked #69 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 3 of 19 schools offering Advanced Placement (19 AP courses district-wide), a 402.2:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 21.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 67.5% African American, 19.7% White, 8.2% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Tuscaloosa Magnet School Elementary, with a diversity index of 62.6/100.
Its largest campus is Northridge High School, enrolling 1,153 students (10% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Tuscaloosa Magnet School Middle, at 173 students, a 7x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Tuscaloosa City school enrollment ranges from 173 students (lowest) to 1,153 students (highest), a spread of 980 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
The reported share clears the 50% majority mark. 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
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
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 Tuscaloosa City is typically wider than the Tuscaloosa City-aggregate figure suggests.
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 19 schools in Tuscaloosa City.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Tuscaloosa City's schools, below the Alabama average of 42.5.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
The Alabama districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elmore County | Similar size | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
| Madison City | Similar size | Lower spending | Similar funding mix |
| Cullman County | Similar size | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
| St Clair County | Similar size | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
| Auburn City | Similar size | Similar spending | More locally funded |
Comparisons are relative to Tuscaloosa City's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Mobile County →Tuscaloosa City has 19 schools, including 3 high, 4 middle, 11 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 11,186 students.
Tuscaloosa City spends $14,227 per student. The district has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #69 in Alabama.
Tuscaloosa City students are 67.5% African American, 19.7% White, 8.2% Hispanic or Latino, 2.4% Asian, averaged across 19 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Tuscaloosa City has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #69 out of 146 districts in Alabama.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.