The bulletin board for America's public schools. Parents, teachers, students, and staff. One community per school.
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HUNTSVILLE CITY·NCES 010180000629

Virgil Grissom High School

1001 Haysland Road, Huntsville, AL 35802 · (256) 428-8000 · Madison County
GRADES 09–12HIGH12-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL1,847 STUDENTS
Enrollment
1,847
High
DISTRICT 1,112 · STATE 682
Student : Teacher
18.6:1
100 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.4:1 · STATE 17.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
35%
646 students
DISTRICT 50% · STATE 58%
Community
2
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Grade 9
482
Grade 10
458
Grade 11
472
Grade 12
435
Student demographics
White
95552%
DISTRICT 35% · STATE 50%
Hispanic
38521%
DISTRICT 17% · STATE 12%
Black
32117%
DISTRICT 39% · STATE 31%
Asian
573%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 1%
Two+
1207%
DISTRICT 7% · STATE 4%
Native American
60%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 1%
Pacific Islander
30%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
94051%
Female
90749%

Discussions

+ POST

Test scores

ACAP 2024-25 . % Proficient
English Language Arts
37.3%
AL avg 52.7%
Math
28.5%
AL avg 31.8%
Source: ACAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of AL schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
34.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
58.5%
based on AL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-24.0pp
below demographic expectation
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

7-year change

SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
1,847
+37 (+2%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
18.6:1
was 18.5:1
% White
52%
was 61%
% Hispanic
21%
was 12%
% Black
17%
was 18%
% Asian
3%
was 4%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

About Virgil Grissom High School

Virgil Grissom High School is a sizable high school in Huntsville, Alabama, part of Huntsville City. The school hosts 1,847 students in grades 9 through 12. That puts it 171% larger than the typical public school in Alabama, which averages around 682 students.

Within Huntsville City, which oversees 44 schools and 24,222 students, Virgil Grissom High School is one campus in the system.

Looking at the student body, Virgil Grissom High School logs that 52% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Other groups include 21% Hispanic, 17% Black, 7% multiracial, 3% Asian. By comparison, Madison County as a whole is about 63% White, so the school skews meaningfully less White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, The school employs 100 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 18.6:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 17.2:1 average. About 35% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

With demographic context factored in, On a poverty-adjusted basis, Virgil Grissom High School sits in the bottom 10% statewide. Predicted proficiency from the FRL regression is roughly 58.5%; actual is 34.6%, a gap of -24.0 points.

In the surrounding community, census data for Madison County shows median household earnings sit near $86,499, 46% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Virgil Grissom High School is one of 89 public schools in Madison County (combined enrollment of about 55,800 students).

Roger B Chaffee Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.9 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Virgil Grissom High School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Virgil Grissom High School at 9th of 9; the average score across the group is 38.0%.

Virgil Grissom High School operates from an urban location.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Virgil Grissom High School has showed little movement, going from 1,810 students in 2018 to 1,847 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 61% to 52% across the same window.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Members of the school community can share what they know.

Madison County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
405,718
Census ACS
Median income
$86,499
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
46%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
89
55,800 students

Quick facts

School name
Virgil Grissom High School
District
Huntsville City
Address
1001 Haysland Road, Huntsville, AL 35802
Phone
(256) 428-8000
County
Madison County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
1,847
Teachers (FTE)
100
Student–teacher ratio
18.6:1
Free/Reduced lunch
646 (35%)
Locale
12-City: Mid-size
NCES ID
010180000629
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Huntsville City
Other schools in Huntsville
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Virgil Grissom High School
How many students attend Virgil Grissom High School?
Virgil Grissom High School enrolls approximately 1,847 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Virgil Grissom High School serve?
Virgil Grissom High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many teachers does Virgil Grissom High School have?
Virgil Grissom High School employs 100 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 18.6:1.
What is the student diversity at Virgil Grissom High School?
Student demographics at Virgil Grissom High School are roughly 52% White, 21% Hispanic, 17% Black, 3% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Is Virgil Grissom High School public or private?
Virgil Grissom High School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Huntsville City.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
+ Post