Education (K-12) · 2024–25 school year
Alabama Public Schools
Public K-12 education statistics for Alabama — 751,060 students in 1,541 schools in 2024–25, with enrollment history back to 1986 and county-level detail from 2002.
| Statistic | Value | School year |
|---|---|---|
| Student enrollment | 751,060 | 2024–25 |
| Public schools | 1,541 | 2024–25 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 43,123 | 2024–25 |
| Pupil-teacher ratio | 17.1 | 2024–25 |
| Free/reduced-price lunch students | 54.5% | 2024–25 |
| School poverty rate (MEPS) | 21.7% | 2022–23 |
| Charter school enrollment | 1.1% | 2024–25 |
| High school graduation rate | 91.6% | 2023–24 |
| Math proficiency (of tested) | 27.2% | 2021–22 |
| Reading proficiency (of tested) | 47.3% | 2021–22 |
| Chronically absent students | 22.3% | 2021–22 |
| White students | 50.1% | 2024–25 |
| Black students | 31.3% | 2024–25 |
| Hispanic students | 12.1% | 2024–25 |
| Asian students | 1.5% | 2024–25 |
Not every statistic is collected every year — each row shows its most recent available school year (amber when older than 2024–25). Blank/absent means not collected or below reliability floors, never zero. Some universal-meals states no longer report free/reduced-price lunch — school poverty (MEPS) is the better lens there. A 0% charter share in a state without a charter-school law is a true zero.
Alabama state report card
Outcomes reported directly by Alabama’s education agency — often more current than the federal series above. Because each state uses its own tests, definitions, and reporting windows, these figures are not comparable state-to-state; each row notes how Alabama measures it.
| Measure | Latest | Trend | School year |
|---|---|---|---|
Math proficiency (state test) How Alabama measures thisACAP Summative Mathematics, spring 2025 (SY 2024-25), percent proficient (Levels 3+4: 23.98+9.40), All Students, statewide 'ALL' grade row covering tested grades 3-8 and 11; participation rate 99.15%. File publishes percentages only - no tested counts. | 33.4% | 2024–25 | |
Reading / ELA proficiency (state test) How Alabama measures thisACAP Summative ELA, spring 2025 (SY 2024-25), percent proficient (Levels 3+4: 32.00+24.18=56.18), All Students, statewide 'ALL' grade row covering tested grades 3-8 and 11; participation rate 98.91%. File publishes percentages only - no tested counts. | 56.2% | 2024–25 | |
Chronic absenteeism (recent) How Alabama measures thisChronic Absenteeism indicator, statewide All Grades/All Students row of the rc2024-25 accountability indicators file (Score column carries the actual metric value: the same file's Graduation Rate score 91.56 and CCR score 87.88 equal the published rates); percent of students chronically absent, SY 2024-25. ALSDE's published definition of chronic absence is missing 18 or more school days (=10% of a 180-day year), consistent with the >=10% standard; the file itself does not embed the definition. | 12.1% | 2024–25 |
Source: AlabamaDepartment of Education (public reporting), 2026 collection. Not comparable across states — proficiency reflects different assessments and cut scores; graduation, dropout, and college-going use each state’s own cohort definitions and windows. Absent rows mean the state doesn’t publish that measure in a comparable file.
Alabama schools by county
Students enrolled, 2024–25.
Alabama schools — FAQ
How many students attend public school in Alabama?+
751,060 students were enrolled in Alabama's 1,541 public K-12 schools in the 2024–25 school year, taught by 43,123 full-time-equivalent teachers (NCES Common Core of Data).
What share of Alabama students get free or reduced-price lunch?+
54.5% of Alabama public school students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–25 — a common proxy for student economic need.
What is Alabama's high school graduation rate?+
91.6% of Alabama's adjusted cohort graduated in the 2023–24 school year — reported by Alabama's education agency (its 4-year ACGR, more current than the federal series, which lags to 2021–22). Graduation rates run from 2010–11 onward.
Where does this data come from?+
Core statistics (enrollment, schools, teachers, poverty, demographics) come from the National Center for Education Statistics — the Common Core of Data, EDFacts, and the Civil Rights Data Collection. The most recent graduation rates and the state report-card outcomes (proficiency, college-going, dropout, chronic absenteeism) come directly from state education agencies, which publish sooner than the federal series. Full source and license details are on the methodology page. pumsdata is independent and not affiliated with NCES or any state agency.
Other states
Data: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (CCD, EDFacts, CRDC) and ED Data Express, plus current-year graduation and report-card outcomes from state education agencies. Full source and license details on the methodology page.