Enrollment
265
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Reform, AL
Pickens County High School
Federal NCES profile for Pickens County High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010273001102
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pickens County High School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Alabama schools.
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.6:1
- small classes for Alabama
- 68.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 265
- students enrolled
Pickens County High School has class sizes smaller than 77% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Pickens County · Alabama
NCES ID 010273001102 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.3%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pickens County High School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pickens County High School
Pickens County High School is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Reform, Alabama, enrolling 265 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 68.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 265 puts it in the smaller third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 1,365 Alabama schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 201 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Alabama schools statewide, it ranks #8, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (73%) and White (20%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 265 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
14.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 21.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Reform's public schools, it stands alongside Reform Elementary School (174 students): Pickens County High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.6:1 vs 13.4:1).
Pickens County also operates Gordo Elementary School (545 students) and Gordo High School (473 students) alongside Pickens 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 Pickens County High School compares
Pickens 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 | 15.6:1 | ▼ 12% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.3% | ▲ 16% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 265 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
265
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
68.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% 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
15.6:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 23% in Alabama - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,560
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 265 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 72.5%
White 20.0%
Two or More 3.8%
Hispanic or Latino 3.4%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 72.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.2, Pickens County High School is about as mixed as the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pickens County, which includes Pickens County High School.
$12,560
Per student
+1%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.7%
State 60.1%
Federal 21.2%
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 Pickens County High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gordo Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gordo High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Aliceville Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Aliceville High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Reform Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pickens County High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 545
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 473
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 415
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 338
- Students per teacher
- 26:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 174
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 66/100
Similar other schools in Reform
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~265 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pickens County High School's federal record.
- Compare Pickens County High School against another school. Compare schools
- Pickens 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 Pickens County High School
How many students attend Pickens County High School?
Pickens County High School has 265 students enrolled. It is a public school in Reform, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pickens County High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pickens County High School is 15.6:1, which is 12% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 1% lower 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 Pickens County High School?
68.3% of students at Pickens County High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pickens County High School?
The largest demographic group at Pickens County High School is African American at 72.5% of enrollment, in Reform, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pickens County High School?
Pickens County High School has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher 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 Pickens County High School a good school?
Pickens County High School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% 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 Pickens County?
Besides Pickens County High School, Pickens County also operates Gordo Elementary School (545 students), Gordo High School (473 students), and Aliceville Elementary School (415 students). See the Pickens 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.