Enrollment
760
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Bessemer, AL
Bessemer City High School
Federal NCES profile for Bessemer City High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 010033000087
👥 S:T ratio 18
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 62
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bessemer City High School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Alabama schools.
- #5 of 12
- public schools in Bessemer · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.5:1
- large classes for Alabama
- 60.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Bessemer City High School has class sizes larger than 86% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bessemer City High School ranks #5 of 12 public schools in Bessemer, AL.
School address
District: Bessemer City · Alabama
NCES ID 010033000087 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.5:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.7%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bessemer City High School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bessemer City High School
Bessemer City High School is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Bessemer, Alabama, enrolling 760 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.5:1 is larger than about 86% of Alabama schools and 16% above the 17.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 60.7% lands close to the Alabama typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 760 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 352 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #145.
Its student body is led by African American (77%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%) (diversity index 36/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 190 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 73.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 26.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 11 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Bessemer's high schools, it stands alongside Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School (161 students): Bessemer City High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.5:1 vs 32.2:1).
Bessemer City also operates Bessemer City Middle School (616 students) and Jonesboro Elementary School (474 students) alongside Bessemer City High School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bessemer City High School compares
Bessemer City High School on the metrics families compare, against Alabama and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alabama | Alabama avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.5:1 | ▲ 16% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.7% | ▲ 3% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 760 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.5:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
760
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% above the Alabama average of 58.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
20.5:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 86% in Alabama - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
73.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,580
per pupil, district-wide
- above Alabama avg of $12,491
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 190 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 101 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 11 expulsions.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
African American 76.7%
Hispanic or Latino 21.8%
White 0.9%
Two or More 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 76.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.4, Bessemer City High School is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bessemer City, which includes Bessemer City High School.
$13,580
Per student
+9%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.2%
State 46.5%
Federal 26.3%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Bessemer City High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bessemer City Middle School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jonesboro Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Charles F Hard Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Greenwood Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Westhills Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bessemer City High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 616
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 474
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 364
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 290
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 277
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar high schools in Bessemer
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Alabama, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~760 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bessemer City High School's federal record.
- Compare Bessemer City High School against another school. Compare schools
- Bessemer City's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Bessemer City High School
How many students attend Bessemer City High School?
Bessemer City High School has 760 students enrolled. It is a high school in Bessemer, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bessemer City High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bessemer City High School is 20.5:1, which is 16% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 31% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bessemer City High School?
60.7% of students at Bessemer City High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bessemer City High School?
The largest demographic group at Bessemer City High School is African American at 76.7% of enrollment, in Bessemer, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bessemer City High School?
Bessemer City High School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Bessemer City High School rank among public schools in Bessemer?
By Resource Investment Index, Bessemer City High School ranks #5 of 12 public schools in Bessemer, AL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Bessemer on the city page.
Is Bessemer City High School a good school?
Bessemer City High School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Alabama schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Bessemer City?
Besides Bessemer City High School, Bessemer City also operates Bessemer City Middle School (616 students), Jonesboro Elementary School (474 students), and Charles F Hard Elementary School (364 students). See the Bessemer City district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.