Total enrollment
20,954
-611 (-3%) vs SY 2020-21
49 schools in Birmingham City
Alabama · 20,954 students · 1 city
49 public schools operate under Birmingham City, with roughly 20,954 K-12 students enrolled (29 elementary, 9 middle, and 9 high).
4-year change in Birmingham City
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
43
+1 (+2%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Birmingham City ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In Alabama | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 23.6% | #112 of 127 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 20,954 | #6 of 143 | #377 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 43 | #5 of 143 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 19.2:1 | #134 of 143 | #8,164 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 76.9% | #19 of 143 | #1,413 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 28.8% | #107 of 127 | #4,939 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Inside Birmingham City
State test results across the district's 42 scored schools run from Princeton School at 76.3% proficient to JacksonOlin High School at 5.8%, a gap of 70.5 points. That is the 6th widest gap among 92 Alabama districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 41 district schools that reported both years went from 23,084 to 20,429 students (down 12%) and from 1,284 to 1,063 full-time teachers (down 17%), as of 2024-25.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
About Birmingham City
Birmingham City is a middle-population Alabama school district running 49 schools with combined enrollment near 20,954.
In terms of grade levels, Birmingham City spans 29 elementary, 9 middle, 9 high schools, and 2 combined or other.
Per-school enrollment averages around 428 in this district, noticeably below the Alabama typical of 544.
Trend over the past 4 years. Across the same 4-year window, public-school enrollment fell 3%: 21,565 students in SY 2020-21 versus 20,954 in SY 2024-25. Over that span, Birmingham City gained 1 school, going from 42 to 43.
In the discussion threads here, the community for Birmingham City discusses enrollment trends, district policy changes, and bus-route updates. Parents, students, and educators in the area can post or comment.