Vestavia Hills City

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, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Vestavia Hills, Alabama - 9 schools

An equity score of 44/100 ranks Vestavia Hills City #93 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $14,068 per pupil, Vestavia Hills City ranks #24 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

7,069
Total Enrollment
9
Schools
$14,068
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Vestavia Hills City operates 9 public schools serving 7,069 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 combined, 2 high, 2 middle 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 Jefferson County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,068 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending. See how Alabama compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 52.1% local, 42.8% state, and 5.1% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 44/100, ranked #93 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 2 of 9 schools offering Advanced Placement (38 AP courses district-wide), a 423:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 5.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 81.6% White, 6.0% Asian, 4.8% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is West Elementary, with a diversity index of 41.7/100.

Its largest campus is Vestavia Hills High School, enrolling 1,625 students (23% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights, at 451 students, a 4x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Vestavia Hills High School accounts for 23.0% of all Vestavia Hills City student enrollment

That concentration means Vestavia Hills City-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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Vestavia Hills City school enrollment varies 3.6× across entities

Vestavia Hills City school enrollment ranges from 451 students (lowest) to 1,625 students (highest), a spread of 1,174 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 NCES Common Core of Data

Vestavia Hills City student-counselor ratio is 423:1 — 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.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Vestavia Hills City chronic absenteeism rate is 5.6% — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)

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 below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

5.1%
Federal
42.8%
State
52.1%
Local

Funding Equity

44
Equity Score
93 / 146
State Rank
51
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 9 schools in Vestavia Hills City.

White 81.6%
Hispanic or Latino 4.3%
African American 4.8%
Asian 6.0%
Multiracial 3.2%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 32.3/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Vestavia Hills City's schools, below the Alabama average of 42.5.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 West Elementary 41.7
  2. 2 Liberty Park Middle School 35.8
  3. 3 Liberty Park Elementary 33.7
  4. 4 Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights 33.6
  5. 5 Vestavia Hills High School Freshman Campus 32.4

Programs & Resources

2 / 9
Schools with AP
38 AP courses total
423:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
5.6%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Vestavia Hills City

School Enrollment
Vestavia Hills High School
1,625
Pizitz Middle School
1,131
East Elementary
771
West Elementary
691
Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge
657
Vestavia Hills High School Freshman Campus
548
Liberty Park Elementary
546
Liberty Park Middle School
514
Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights
451

How Vestavia Hills City Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Alabama districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Walker County Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Talladega County Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
Phenix City Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
Houston County Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
Enterprise City Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Vestavia Hills City'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 · $12,163/pupil
Compare vs Vestavia Hills City →
Jefferson County
35,951 students · 57 schools · $11,497/pupil
Compare vs Vestavia Hills City →
Baldwin County
31,517 students · 45 schools · $11,999/pupil
Compare vs Vestavia Hills City →
Montgomery County
26,821 students · 52 schools · $11,430/pupil
Compare vs Vestavia Hills City →
Huntsville City
23,776 students · 45 schools · $12,033/pupil
Compare vs Vestavia Hills City →

Compare Vestavia Hills City

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 Vestavia Hills City?

Vestavia Hills City has 9 schools, including 2 high, 2 middle, 5 combined. Total enrollment is 7,069 students.

How much does Vestavia Hills City spend per student?

Vestavia Hills City spends $14,068 per student. The district has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #93 in Alabama.

What is the demographic composition of Vestavia Hills City?

Vestavia Hills City students are 81.6% White, 6.0% Asian, 4.8% African American, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, averaged across 9 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Vestavia Hills City?

Vestavia Hills City has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #93 out of 146 districts in Alabama.