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Tuscaloosa, Alabama - 35 schools
An equity score of 27/100 ranks Tuscaloosa County #130 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,186 per pupil, Tuscaloosa County ranks #119 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
19,377
Total Enrollment
35
Schools
$11,186
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Tuscaloosa County operates 35 public schools serving 19,377 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 18 combined, 6 high, 6 middle, 5 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage 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 $11,186 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending. See how Alabama compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 27.0% local, 58.1% state, and 14.9% 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 27/100, ranked #130 of 146 in Alabama against a state average of 51, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 5 of 35 schools offering Advanced Placement (25 AP courses district-wide), a 452.6:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 21.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 50.4% White, 31.7% African American, 14.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Cottondale Elementary School, with a diversity index of 69.7/100.
Its largest campus is Tuscaloosa County High School, enrolling 1,607 students (8% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Lloyd Wood Education Center, at 205 students, a 8x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Tuscaloosa County school enrollment varies 7.8× across entities
Tuscaloosa County school enrollment ranges from 205 students (lowest) to 1,607 students (highest), a spread of 1,402 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.
Tuscaloosa County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 57.0% 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 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.
Tuscaloosa County student-counselor ratio is 453:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
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.
Tuscaloosa County chronic absenteeism rate is 21.1% — 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 Tuscaloosa County is typically wider than the Tuscaloosa County-aggregate figure suggests.
Tuscaloosa County has 35 schools, including 6 high, 18 combined, 6 middle, 5 elementary. Total enrollment is 19,377 students.
How much does Tuscaloosa County spend per student?
Tuscaloosa County spends $11,186 per student. The district has an equity score of 27/100, ranking #130 in Alabama.
What is the demographic composition of Tuscaloosa County?
Tuscaloosa County students are 50.4% White, 31.7% African American, 14.6% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% Asian, averaged across 35 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Tuscaloosa County?
Tuscaloosa County has an equity score of 27/100, ranking #130 out of 146 districts in Alabama.