Enrollment
322
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Columbia, AL
Houston County High School
Federal NCES profile for Houston County High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010177000614
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Houston County High School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Alabama schools.
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.1:1
- small classes for Alabama
- 78.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 322
- students enrolled
Houston County High School has class sizes smaller than 70% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Houston County · Alabama
NCES ID 010177000614 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.6%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Houston County High School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Houston County High School
Houston County High School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Columbia, Alabama, enrolling 322 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 16.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 78.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 322 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 260 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #61.
Its student body is led by African American (44%) and White (44%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 322 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 16.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 133 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 322 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 53 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Houston County also operates Rehobeth High School (786 students) and Ashford Elementary School (668 students) alongside Houston County 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 Houston County High School compares
Houston County 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 | 16.1:1 | ▼ 9% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.6% | ▲ 34% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 322 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
322
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
78.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 34% 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
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 30% in Alabama - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.8%
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
$10,538
per pupil, district-wide
- below Alabama avg of $12,491
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 322 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
131
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 40.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 41.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 53 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 44.1%
White 43.5%
Hispanic or Latino 8.4%
Two or More 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Asian 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 44.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.9, Houston County High School is more mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Houston County, which includes Houston County High School.
$10,538
Per student
-16%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.8%
State 58.7%
Federal 16.5%
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 Houston County High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rehobeth High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ashford Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wicksburg Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rehobeth Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cottonwood Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Houston County High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 786
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 668
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 636
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 590
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other 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 (~322 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Houston County High School's federal record.
- Compare Houston County High School against another school. Compare schools
- Houston County'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 Houston County High School
How many students attend Houston County High School?
Houston County High School has 322 students enrolled. It is a public school in Columbia, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Houston County High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Houston County High School is 16.1:1, which is 9% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Houston County High School?
78.6% of students at Houston County High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Houston County High School?
The largest demographic group at Houston County High School is African American at 44.1% of enrollment, in Columbia, AL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Houston County High School?
Houston County High School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Houston County High School a good school?
Houston County High School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% 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 Houston County?
Besides Houston County High School, Houston County also operates Rehobeth High School (786 students), Ashford Elementary School (668 students), and Wicksburg Elementary School (636 students). See the Houston County 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.