Tuscaloosa County School System

Listed by NCES as Tuscaloosa County (district ID 0103390)

Public school district · Tuscaloosa County · Alabama · NCES district ID 0103390

Tuscaloosa County School System spent $11,564 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 88% of the other Alabama districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $12,720). Its 35 schools enrolled 19,278 students in 2024-25; 58.0% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $12,186 per student, up 5.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 91% (Alabama: 90%).

Spending per student among Alabama's largest districts

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. Among the 10 districts shown, Tuscaloosa County School System ranks 8.

Current spending per student, largest Alabama districts, FY23Birmingham City $16,201; Mobile County Public Schools $13,245; Huntsville City $13,146; Baldwin County Public Schools $13,089; Montgomery County $12,977; Shelby County $12,436; Jefferson County Schools $12,194; Tuscaloosa County School System $11,564; Madison County Schools $10,905; Limestone County Schools $9,240; State median, 1,000+ students $12,720.7.5k10k12.5k15k17.5kBirmingham City$16,201Mobile County Public Schools$13,245Huntsville City$13,146Baldwin County Public Schools$13,089Montgomery County$12,977Shelby County$12,436Jefferson County Schools$12,194Tuscaloosa County School System$11,564Madison County Schools$10,905Limestone County Schools$9,240State median, 1,000+ students $12,720
Current spending per student, largest Alabama districts, FY23Birmingham City $16,201; Mobile County Public Schools $13,245; Huntsville City $13,146; Baldwin County Public Schools $13,089; Montgomery County $12,977; Shelby County $12,436; Jefferson County Schools $12,194; Tuscaloosa County School System $11,564; Madison County Schools $10,905; Limestone County Schools $9,240; State median, 1,000+ students $12,720.7.5k10k12.5k15k17.5kBirmingham City$16,201Mobile County Public Schools$13,245Huntsville City$13,146Baldwin County Public Schools$13,089Montgomery County$12,977Shelby County$12,436Jefferson County Schools$12,194Tuscaloosa County School System$11,564Madison County Schools$10,905Limestone County Schools$9,240State median, 1,000+ students $12,720
Current spending per student, largest Alabama districts, FY23Birmingham City $16,201; Mobile County Public Schools $13,245; Huntsville City $13,146; Baldwin County Public Schools $13,089; Montgomery County $12,977; Shelby County $12,436; Jefferson County Schools $12,194; Tuscaloosa County School System $11,564; Madison County Schools $10,905; Limestone County Schools $9,240; State median, 1,000+ students $12,720.7.5k12.5k17.5kBirmingham City$16,201Mobile County Public Schools$13,245Huntsville City$13,146Baldwin County Public Schools$13,089Montgomery County$12,977Shelby County$12,436Jefferson County Schools$12,194Tuscaloosa County School System$11,564Madison County Schools$10,905Limestone County Schools$9,240State median, 1,000+ students $12,720
Current spending per student, largest Alabama districts, FY23Birmingham City $16,201; Mobile County Public Schools $13,245; Huntsville City $13,146; Baldwin County Public Schools $13,089; Montgomery County $12,977; Shelby County $12,436; Jefferson County Schools $12,194; Tuscaloosa County School System $11,564; Madison County Schools $10,905; Limestone County Schools $9,240; State median, 1,000+ students $12,720.7.5k12.5k17.5kBirmingham City$16,201Mobile County Public Schools$13,245Huntsville City$13,146Baldwin County Public Schools$13,089Montgomery County$12,977Shelby County$12,436Jefferson County Schools$12,194Tuscaloosa County School System$11,564Madison County Schools$10,905Limestone County Schools$9,240State median, 1,000+ students $12,720

Where the money came from

$262,957,000 in revenue: 58.0% state, 28.4% local and 13.6% federal. Total spending including $37,971,000 of capital outlay was $267,824,000, or $13,822 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Tuscaloosa County School System revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $152,541,000; Local $74,549,000; Federal $35,867,000; total $262,957,000.
  • State$152,541,000 58%
  • Local$74,549,000 28%
  • Federal$35,867,000 14%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 130 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment held steady from 2022-23 to 2024-25

19,377 students in 2022-23, 19,228 students in 2023-24, 19,278 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Tuscaloosa County School System enrollment by school year2022-23: 19,377, 2023-24: 19,228, 2024-25: 19,27805k10k15k20k2022-2319,3772023-2419,2282024-2519,278
Tuscaloosa County School System enrollment by school year2022-23: 19,377, 2023-24: 19,228, 2024-25: 19,27805k10k15k20k2022-2319,3772023-2419,2282024-2519,278
Tuscaloosa County School System enrollment by school year2022-23: 19,377, 2023-24: 19,228, 2024-25: 19,27805k10k15k20k2022-2319,3772023-2419,2282024-2519,278
Tuscaloosa County School System enrollment by school year2022-23: 19,377, 2023-24: 19,228, 2024-25: 19,27805k10k15k20k2022-2319,3772023-2419,2282024-2519,278

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2319,3771036.018.7
2023-2419,2281105.017.4
2024-2519,2781118.817.2

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$65,442,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,377 per student

Tuscaloosa County School System booked $65,442,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 1,036 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $63,168 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 11 in 100 Alabama districts with a figure (state median $66,861, 140 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Alabama teacher salary at $55,834 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$51,732,00079.1%
Special education$8,382,00012.8%
Vocational$2,852,0004.4%
Other programs$2,476,0003.8%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $2,934 in 2018-19, $3,039 in 2019-20, $3,089 in 2020-21, $3,219 in 2021-22, $3,377 in 2022-23.

Tuscaloosa County School System teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,934, 2019-20: $3,039, 2020-21: $3,089, 2021-22: $3,219, 2022-23: $3,37701k2k3k4k2018-19$2,9342019-20$3,0392020-21$3,0892021-22$3,2192022-23$3,377
Tuscaloosa County School System teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,934, 2019-20: $3,039, 2020-21: $3,089, 2021-22: $3,219, 2022-23: $3,37701k2k3k4k2018-19$2,9342019-20$3,0392020-21$3,0892021-22$3,2192022-23$3,377
Tuscaloosa County School System teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,934, 2019-20: $3,039, 2020-21: $3,089, 2021-22: $3,219, 2022-23: $3,37701k2k3k4k2018-19$2,9342019-20$3,0392020-21$3,0892021-22$3,2192022-23$3,377
Tuscaloosa County School System teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $2,934, 2019-20: $3,039, 2020-21: $3,089, 2021-22: $3,219, 2022-23: $3,37701k2k3k4k2018-19$2,9342019-20$3,0392020-21$3,0892021-22$3,2192022-23$3,377

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Tuscaloosa County School System scored proficient or above: 45% in reading and 23% in math, against 47.3% in reading and 27.2% in math across Alabama. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Alabama, not across states.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtAlabamaStudents tested
Reading and language arts45%47.3%9,459
Math23%27.2%9,498

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

91% of the 1,284 students in Tuscaloosa County School System's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 90% across Alabama. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtAlabama
Four-year graduation rate91%90%
Students in the class1,28452,928

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

19 elementary schools, 8,779 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Lake View Elementary School74417.941.5%Not Title I
Walker Elementary School74316.034.1%Not Title I
Brookwood Elementary School63120.255.9%Targeted program
Taylorville Primary School57818.658.7%Targeted program
Northport Elementary School55814.728.9%Not Title I
Englewood Elementary School52218.660.9%Targeted program
Big Sandy Elementary52217.946.2%Not Title I
Maxwell Elementary School51115.861.6%Targeted program
Flatwoods Elementary School45914.468.6%Targeted program
Vance Elementary School45114.951.7%Targeted program
Holt Elementary School44817.382.4%Targeted program
Cottondale Elementary School43817.570.5%Targeted program
The other 7 elementary schools
SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Matthews Elementary School40115.386.8%Targeted program
Huntington Place Elementary School37718.130.5%Not Title I
FaucettVestavia Elementary School34314.946.9%Not Title I
Westwood Elementary School29913.738.8%Targeted program
Myrtlewood Elementary School28014.046.1%Targeted program
Crestmont Elementary School26813.474.6%Targeted program
Buhl Elementary School20613.648.1%Targeted program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

9 middle schools, 4,662 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Echols Middle School73817.655.1%Not Title I
Brookwood Middle School73819.948.8%Not Title I
Sipsey Valley Middle School57520.446.4%Not Title I
Hillcrest Middle School54219.458.7%Not Title I
Northport Intermediate School50019.742.2%Not Title I
Duncanville Middle School46021.948.9%Not Title I
DavisEmerson Middle School39718.979.3%Targeted program
Northside Middle School39416.827.4%Not Title I
CollinsRiverside Middle School31817.474.5%Not Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

6 high schools, 5,632 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Tuscaloosa County High School1,60717.847.2%Not Title I
Hillcrest High School1,43418.250.1%Not Title I
Brookwood High School1,07618.244.7%Not Title I
Northside High School53518.133.6%Not Title I
Sipsey Valley High School52417.541.6%Not Title I
Holt High School45616.378.3%Targeted program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 other school, 205 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Lloyd Wood Education Center2059.819.5%Not Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

Contact Tuscaloosa County School System

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Tuscaloosa County School System

  1. Alabama districts by spending per studentTuscaloosa County School System ranks 114 of 130 Alabama districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($11,564).#114 of 130
  2. Every school district in AlabamaTuscaloosa County School System is the number 9 by size of 149 Alabama districts, with 19,377 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#9 of 149
  3. Madison County SchoolsThe next larger Alabama district: 20,551 students in fall 2022, $10,905 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$10,905
  4. Limestone County SchoolsThe next smaller Alabama district: 15,887 students in fall 2022, $9,240 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$9,240
  5. Compare Tuscaloosa County School System with Madison County SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Tuscaloosa County High School, its largest high school1,607 students in 2024-25, 17.8 per teacher.1,607
  7. Teacher salary spending across AlabamaTuscaloosa County School System spent $63,168 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $66,861); spending, not a salary.$63,168
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Tuscaloosa County School System

  1. How many schools and students are in Tuscaloosa County School System?
    35 schools were open in 2024-25 (19 elementary, 9 middle, 6 high, 1 other), enrolling 19,278 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Tuscaloosa County School System spend per student?
    $11,564 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Alabama median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $12,720 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $12,186 per student, up 5.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Tuscaloosa County School System's money come from?
    $262,957,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 58.0% state, 28.4% local and 13.6% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Tuscaloosa County School System live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 3,441 of the 23,586 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 14.6%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Tuscaloosa County School System spend on teacher salaries?
    $65,442,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,377 per student. Divided by the 1,036 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $63,168 per teacher, more than 11 in 100 Alabama districts (state median $66,861). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Alabama teacher salary at $55,834 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Tuscaloosa County School System do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Tuscaloosa County School System scored proficient or above: 45% in reading and 23% in math, against 47.3% in reading and 27.2% in math across Alabama. Alabama's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Tuscaloosa County School System?
    91% of the 1,284 students in Tuscaloosa County School System's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 90% across Alabama. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Tuscaloosa County School System's NCES district ID?
    0103390. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25