Total enrollment
35,444
+318 (+1%) vs SY 2020-21
57 schools in Jefferson County
Alabama · 35,444 students · 22 cities
From elementary through high school, Jefferson County runs 57 public K-12 schools (30 elementary, 11 middle, and 13 high), with combined enrollment of about 35,444.
4-year change in Jefferson County
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
55
-1 (-2%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Jefferson County ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In Alabama | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 29.8% | #103 of 127 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 35,444 | #2 of 143 | #169 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 55 | #2 of 143 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.5:1 | #92 of 143 | #7,422 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 58.8% | #64 of 143 | #2,981 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.2% | #20 of 127 | #1,381 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 Jefferson County
State test results across the district's 51 scored schools run from Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School at 90.8% proficient to Center Point High School at 4.6%, a gap of 86.1 points. That is the 2nd widest gap among 92 Alabama districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 53 district schools that reported both years went from 35,349 to 34,490 students (down 2%) and from 1,968 to 1,976 full-time teachers (unchanged), 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 Jefferson County
As a moderately sized district in Alabama, Jefferson County hosts 35,444 students across 57 schools.
On the level-by-level breakdown, Jefferson County covers 30 elementary, 11 middle, 13 high schools, and 3 combined or other.
On a per-school basis, Jefferson County runs about 622 students per school, 14% above the state mean of roughly 544.
Trend over the past 4 years. Combined enrollment now sits at 35,444 students, held roughly steady from the 35,126 reported in SY 2020-21. The school count fell from 56 to 55 across the same 4-year window.
On allk12, the community for Jefferson County discusses sports rivalries, cross-district programs, and shared facilities. Anyone with firsthand knowledge of these schools is welcome to weigh in.