School Funding Equity in Alabama

146 districts ranked by equity score — how equitably is school funding distributed? Equity is computed from NCES F-33 school finance data covering districts in all 50 states. See our methodology.

51
State Avg Score
49
National Avg Score
23
Highly Equitable (70+)
16
Low Equity (<30)
# District Score
1 Lowndes County 94
2 Perry County 93
3 Linden City 91
4 Wilcox County 87
5 Clarke County 86
6 Macon County 82
7 Sumter County 80
8 Bibb County 78
9 Opp City 78
10 Marengo County 78
11 University Charter School 78
12 Magic City Acceptance Academy 76
13 Conecuh County 75
14 Thomasville City 75
15 Tallassee City 74
16 Greene County 74
17 Pike County 73
18 Choctaw County 73
19 Barbour County 73
20 Talladega City 72
21 Breakthrough Charter School 72
22 Mountain Brook City 71
23 Dallas County 70
24 Franklin County 69
25 Selma City 69
26 Sheffield City 68
27 Lanett City 68
28 Gadsden City 66
29 Monroe County 66
30 Tallapoosa County 66
31 Bullock County 65
32 Geneva City 64
33 Haleyville City 63
34 Tarrant City 63
35 Brewton City 63
36 Lawrence County 62
37 DeKalb County 61
38 Dothan City 61
39 Oxford City 61
40 Fayette County 61
41 Tuscumbia City 61
42 Russellville City 60
43 Midfield City 60
44 MAEF Public Charter Schools 60
45 Decatur City 59
46 Geneva County 58
47 Randolph County 58
48 i3 Academy 58
49 Phenix City 57
50 Ozark City 57
51 Fairfield City 57
52 Coosa County 57
53 Marshall County 56
54 Pickens County 55
55 Legacy Prep 55
56 Montgomery County 54
57 Colbert County 54
58 Birmingham City 53
59 Guntersville City 53
60 Oneonta City 53
61 Piedmont City 53
62 Henry County 51
63 Anniston City 51
64 Troy City 51
65 Elba City 51
66 Walker County 50
67 Daleville City 50
68 Hoover City 49
69 Opelika City 49
70 Covington County 49
71 Crenshaw County 49
72 Florence City 48
73 Cherokee County 48
74 Pelham City 48
75 Alexander City 48
76 Chickasaw City 48
77 Tuscaloosa City 47
78 Fort Payne City 47
79 Dale County 47
80 Cullman City 47
81 Demopolis City 47
82 Jackson County 46
83 Homewood City 46
84 Saraland City 46
85 Butler County 46
86 Cleburne County 46
87 Gulf Shores City 46
88 Winston County 46
89 Andalusia City 46
90 Mobile County 45
91 Bessemer City 45
92 Chambers County 44
93 Winfield City 44
94 Etowah County 43
95 Alabaster City 43
96 Jacksonville City 43
97 Baldwin County 42
98 Lee County 42
99 Calhoun County 42
100 Eufaula City 42
101 Russell County 42
102 LIFE Academy 42
103 Cullman County 41
104 Morgan County 41
105 Athens City 41
106 Escambia County 41
107 Marion County 41
108 Scottsboro City 41
109 Hale County 41
110 Lamar County 41
111 Attalla City 41
112 Vestavia Hills City 40
113 Jasper City 39
114 Sylacauga City 39
115 Pell City 38
116 Washington County 38
117 Clay County 38
118 Hartselle City 36
119 Blount County 35
120 Roanoke City 35
121 Jefferson County 34
122 Lauderdale County 34
123 Coffee County 34
124 Madison City 33
125 Elmore County 33
126 Chilton County 33
127 Talladega County 33
128 Boaz City 33
129 LEAD Academy 32
130 Muscle Shoals City 30
131 Autauga County 29
132 Trussville City 29
133 Huntsville City 27
134 Arab City 27
135 Shelby County 26
136 Tuscaloosa County 26
137 Houston County 24
138 Auburn City 23
139 Leeds City 23
140 Satsuma City 23
141 Limestone County 21
142 Enterprise City 20
143 St Clair County 19
144 Albertville City 18
145 Pike Road City 15
146 Madison County 13

How the Equity Score Works

The equity score (0-100) evaluates four dimensions of school funding fairness:

Per-Pupil Spending (0-25)
Higher spending relative to peers
Need-Adjusted Spending (0-25)
Spending weighted by poverty level — rewards districts that spend more where need is greatest
Funding Diversity (0-25)
Less reliance on local property taxes, more state/federal support
Resource Access (0-25)
Lower student-teacher ratios = more individualized attention