Alabama Education Statistics 2026: Schools, Enrollment & Spending
Alabama public school data show 1,532 operating schools, 159 operating districts, and 751,060 students in the NCES 2024–25 Common Core of Data.
Finance metrics use U.S. Census Bureau FY2024 school finance data, with Alabama reporting $10.320 billion in current spending and $13,627 in current spending per pupil.
Alabama Education Snapshot
School counts, membership and staffing come from NCES CCD 2024–25. Spending and per-pupil finance measures come from the Census Bureau FY2024 Annual Survey of School System Finances.
Alabama Public School Expenditure Mix
FY2024 expenditure categories in billions of nominal dollars.
Current spending accounts for 86.1% of Alabama’s FY2024 elementary-secondary expenditures. Dollar values are nominal and not adjusted for regional price differences.
Chart analysis
- Current spending is the largest expenditure category at $10.320 billion.
- Capital outlay totals $1.475 billion, equal to 12.3% of total expenditures.
- Other expenditure is $188.1 million, or 1.6% of total expenditures.
- Total FY2024 elementary-secondary expenditure is $11.984 billion.
Alabama Schools, Enrollment, and Finance Indicator Table
The table separates NCES school-year measures from Census fiscal-year finance measures. Per-pupil spending uses the Census Bureau’s reported FY2024 PPCS value.
| Category | Indicator | Alabama | U.S. | Unit | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schools | Operating public schools | 1,532 | 99,073 | Schools | SY 2024–25 | NCES CCD |
| Districts | Operating public school districts | 159 | 19,183 | Districts | SY 2024–25 | NCES CCD |
| Enrollment | Student membership | 751,060 | 49,269,882 | Students | SY 2024–25 | NCES CCD |
| Staffing | Teachers | 43,161 | — | FTE teachers | SY 2024–25 | NCES CCD |
| Staffing | Pupil/teacher ratio | 17.4 | — | Students per FTE teacher | SY 2024–25 | NCES CCD |
| Enrollment | Students per operating school | 490.2 | 497.3 | Students per operating school | SY 2024–25 | Calculated from NCES CCD |
| Schools | Operating charter schools | 23 | 8,048 | Schools | SY 2024–25 | NCES CCD |
| Schools | Charter share of operating schools | 1.5% | 8.1% | Percent of operating schools | SY 2024–25 | Calculated from NCES CCD |
| Enrollment | Finance enrollment | 741,082 | 46,370,928 | Students | FY2024 | Census school finance |
| Revenue | Total elementary-secondary revenue | $12.866B | $994.922B | Nominal dollars | FY2024 | Census school finance |
| Revenue | Federal revenue | $2.074B | $115.085B | Nominal dollars | FY2024 | Census school finance |
| Revenue | State revenue | $6.759B | $450.044B | Nominal dollars | FY2024 | Census school finance |
| Revenue | Local revenue | $4.033B | $429.793B | Nominal dollars | FY2024 | Census school finance |
| Expenditure | Total elementary-secondary expenditure | $11.984B | $983.713B | Nominal dollars | FY2024 | Census school finance |
| Expenditure | Current spending | $10.320B | $842.343B | Nominal dollars | FY2024 | Census school finance |
| Expenditure | Capital outlay | $1.475B | $113.088B | Nominal dollars | FY2024 | Census school finance |
| Expenditure | Other expenditure | $188.1M | $28.282B | Nominal dollars | FY2024 | Census school finance |
| Debt | Debt outstanding at end of fiscal year | $4.620B | $581.828B | Nominal dollars | FY2024 | Census school finance |
| Assets | Cash and securities | $6.461B | $414.360B | Nominal dollars | FY2024 | Census school finance |
| Per pupil | Current spending per pupil | $13,627 | $17,619 | Nominal dollars per pupil | FY2024 | Census school finance |
| Rank | Current spending per pupil rank | 40 of 51 | 50 states + DC | Rank by selected indicator | FY2024 | Census school finance |
Table analysis
- NCES reports 751,060 Alabama public school students for SY 2024–25.
- Alabama has 1,532 operating schools, 159 operating districts, and 43,161 FTE teachers in SY 2024–25.
- Alabama’s pupil/teacher ratio is 17.4. NCES does not publish a 2024–25 U.S. teacher total or U.S. pupil/teacher ratio because Tennessee teacher data are unavailable.
- Alabama averages about 490.2 students per operating school, calculated from CCD membership and operating-school counts.
- NCES reports 23 operating charter schools in Alabama for SY 2024–25.
- FY2024 total revenue is $12.866 billion, with state sources supplying the largest share.
- FY2024 current spending is $10.320 billion.
- Alabama’s reported current spending per pupil is $13,627, compared with $17,619 nationally.
- The Alabama-to-U.S. per-pupil spending gap is $3,993.
- School-year membership and fiscal-year finance enrollment are separate source measures.
Revenue Structure and Spending Detail
Supporting tables show how Alabama’s FY2024 public school revenue is split by source and how current spending is allocated across major functions.
Revenue Share by Source
Federal, state, and local revenue shares for Alabama and the United States in FY2024.
Alabama reports a higher state revenue share than the U.S. total and a lower local revenue share.
Current Spending Per Pupil Trend
Nominal PPCS values for Alabama and the U.S., FY2019–FY2024.
Alabama PPCS rose from $10,077 in FY2019 to $13,627 in FY2024.
Chart analysis
- State sources provide 52.5% of Alabama public school revenue in FY2024.
- Federal sources provide 16.1% of Alabama revenue, above the U.S. share of 11.6%.
- Local sources provide 31.3% of Alabama revenue, below the U.S. share of 43.2%.
- Alabama PPCS increased 6.7% from FY2023 to FY2024.
- From FY2019 to FY2024, Alabama PPCS increased 35.2% in nominal dollars.
| Revenue source | Alabama amount | Alabama share | U.S. share | Measure | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue | $12.866B | 100.0% | 100.0% | All sources | FY2024 |
| Federal sources | $2.074B | 16.1% | 11.6% | Revenue source share | FY2024 |
| Title I | $295.1M | 2.3% | 1.6% | Federal component share of total revenue | FY2024 |
| State sources | $6.759B | 52.5% | 45.2% | Revenue source share | FY2024 |
| State general formula assistance | $4.518B | 35.1% | 29.5% | State component share of total revenue | FY2024 |
| Local sources | $4.033B | 31.3% | 43.2% | Revenue source share | FY2024 |
| Local taxes and parent government contributions | $1.980B | 15.4% | 36.0% | Local component share of total revenue | FY2024 |
| Other local governments | $1.190B | 9.3% | 1.2% | Local component share of total revenue | FY2024 |
| Charges | $353.1M | 2.7% | 1.7% | Local component share of total revenue | FY2024 |
Table analysis
- Alabama’s largest revenue source is state revenue at $6.759 billion.
- Federal revenue totals $2.074 billion.
- Local revenue totals $4.033 billion.
- State general formula assistance equals 35.1% of total revenue.
- Local taxes and parent government contributions equal 15.4% of total revenue.
| Spending function | Total amount | Per pupil | Share of current | Measure | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending, all functions | $10.320B | $13,627 | 100.0% | Current spending | FY2024 |
| Salaries and wages | $5.498B | $7,419 | 53.3% | All functions object | FY2024 |
| Employee benefits | $1.957B | $2,641 | 19.0% | All functions object | FY2024 |
| Instruction | $5.527B | $7,452 | 53.6% | Function total | FY2024 |
| Instruction salaries and wages | $3.431B | $4,629 | 33.2% | Instruction object | FY2024 |
| Instruction employee benefits | $1.202B | $1,622 | 11.6% | Instruction object | FY2024 |
| Support services | $3.942B | $5,319 | 38.2% | Function total | FY2024 |
| Student support | $816.4M | $1,102 | 7.9% | Support services subfunction | FY2024 |
| Instructional staff support | $470.0M | $634 | 4.6% | Support services subfunction | FY2024 |
| General administration | $306.0M | $413 | 3.0% | Support services subfunction | FY2024 |
| School administration | $574.2M | $775 | 5.6% | Support services subfunction | FY2024 |
| All other functions | $851.3M | $1,122 | 8.2% | Function total | FY2024 |
Table analysis
- Instruction is the largest current spending function at $5.527 billion.
- Support services total $3.942 billion.
- Salaries and wages equal $5.498 billion, or 53.3% of current spending.
- Employee benefits equal $1.957 billion, or 19.0% of current spending.
- Instruction spending per pupil is $7,452.
- Support services spending per pupil is $5,319.
| Fiscal year | Alabama PPCS | Alabama change | U.S. PPCS | U.S. change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $10,077 | Baseline | $13,187 | Baseline | Census PPCS table |
| 2020 | $10,116 | 0.4% | $13,501 | 2.4% | Census PPCS table |
| 2021 | $10,683 | 5.6% | $14,358 | 6.3% | Census PPCS table |
| 2022 | $11,819 | 10.6% | $15,630 | 8.9% | Census PPCS table |
| 2023 | $12,766 | 8.0% | $16,526 | 5.7% | Census PPCS table |
| 2024 | $13,627 | 6.7% | $17,619 | 6.6% | Census PPCS table |
Trend analysis
- Alabama PPCS increased each year from FY2019 through FY2024.
- The largest one-year Alabama increase in the series is 10.6% in FY2022.
- FY2024 Alabama PPCS is $3,993 below the U.S. value.
- The FY2024 Alabama value equals 77.3% of the U.S. value.
- The trend is nominal and is not adjusted for inflation.
Alabama Data Notes
The profile uses matched state-level federal sources, but the measures come from different collections and reporting periods.
School count coverage
NCES operating school and district counts include entities providing services at the start of SY 2024–25.
Enrollment definition
NCES student membership and Census finance enrollment are not the same field. The school-year membership count is higher than the FY2024 finance enrollment measure.
National staffing comparison
NCES does not report a 2024–25 U.S. teacher total or pupil/teacher ratio because Tennessee teacher data are unavailable. Alabama’s 17.4 ratio is therefore shown without a current national ratio comparison.
Spending rank scope
The 40 of 51 rank applies only to FY2024 current spending per pupil among the 50 states and District of Columbia.
Dollar value treatment
Finance values are nominal FY2024 dollars. They are not adjusted for inflation, wage levels, regional prices, or district cost structures.
Source and Methodology
Data source
NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25 operating schools, operating districts, student membership, teachers, and pupil/teacher ratio, Final Version 1a.
Finance source
U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of School System Finances, FY2024 public elementary-secondary education finance tables.
Supporting federal reference
Census Annual Survey of School System Finances program page for revenues, expenditures, debt, assets, and school system finance definitions.
Latest available year
School count, membership, staffing, pupil/teacher ratio, and charter-school count: SY 2024–25. Finance, revenue, expenditure, PPCS, and trend values: FY2024.
Unit of measure
Counts are reported as schools, districts, students, and FTE teachers. Students per operating school and charter share are calculated from published 2024–25 CCD counts. Finance values are nominal dollars. Per-pupil values are Census-reported PPCS amounts.
Coverage
Alabama state-level public elementary-secondary education data with U.S. totals or U.S. averages shown where the source table provides matching context. The 2024–25 national teacher total and pupil/teacher ratio are unavailable in the CCD summary because Tennessee teacher data are missing.
Revenue, expenditure, and current spending amounts from Census summary tables are reported in thousands of dollars and converted here to dollar display units. Percent shares are rounded to one decimal place. PPCS values are rounded to the nearest dollar for display while sortable table values retain decimal precision. The 490.2 students-per-school value equals 751,060 student membership divided by 1,532 operating schools; the 1.5% charter share equals 23 operating charter schools divided by 1,532 operating schools.
Rankings are indicator-specific. Current spending per pupil should not be read as an overall school quality rank. Finance values are nominal and do not adjust for regional prices, student need, district geography, capital schedules, or staffing market differences.