Enrollment
322
High
DISTRICT 472 · STATE 682
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HOUSTON COUNTY·NCES 010177000614
Houston County High School
200 W Church St, Columbia, AL 36319 · (334) 696-2221 · Houston County
GRADES 07–12HIGH42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL322 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 87% of Alabama public high schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Alabama public high schools
Student : Teacher
16.1:1
20 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.4:1 · STATE 17.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
74%
239 students
DISTRICT 57% · STATE 58%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 46 | 14% |
| Grade 8 | 68 | 21% |
| Grade 9 | 59 | 18% |
| Grade 10 | 44 | 14% |
| Grade 11 | 51 | 16% |
| Grade 12 | 54 | 17% |
Student demographics
61%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 47% · STATE 63% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
ACAP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
41.4%
AL avg 52.7%
Math
28.7%
AL avg 31.8%
What this means: On the ACAP, Alabama's statewide test, about 41 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 29 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Alabama schools, those numbers are about 53 and 32.
Source: ACAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
34.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
30.1%
based on AL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+4.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 34% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 30% typical for Alabama schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Alabama's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Houston County High School
Houston County High School's state test result (34.2% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston County High School this school | 322 | 74.2% | 34.2% |
| Sheffield High School Sheffield | 305 | 70.8% | 10.1% |
| Saks High School Anniston | 419 | 72.1% | 25.4% |
| Central High School Rockford | 354 | 66.7% | 24.2% |
| Abbeville High School Abbeville | 266 | 80.8% | 14.1% |
| Elba High School Elba | 224 | 68.8% | 26.1% |
Matched among Alabama high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Houston County High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Alabama | In Houston County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 34.2% | #98 of 305 | #2 of 6 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 28.7% | #79 of 305 | #2 of 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 41.4% | #109 of 305 | #3 of 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 322 | #268 of 319 | #7 of 7 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.1:1 | #87 of 307 | #1 of 7 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 60.9% | #48 of 307 | #1 of 7 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 74.2% | #58 of 317 | #1 of 7 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -13.7% | #78 of 164 | N/A |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
322
-8 (-2%) vs 2020
-51% since 1990-91, when it was 651
Student : Teacher
16.1:1
was 14.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 322 | 20 | 16.1:1 | 74% (239) |
| 2023-24 | 336 | 20 | 16.8:1 | 81% (272) |
| 2022-23 | 322 | 20 | 16.1:1 | 81% (262) |
| 2020-21 | 330 | 23 | 14.3:1 | 85% (280) |
| 2017-18 | 373 | 23 | 16.2:1 | 80% (299) |
| 2015-16 | 327 | 21 | 15.6:1 | 78% (255) |
| 2010-11 | 373 | 22 | 16.9:1 | 74% (275) |
| 2000-01 | 409 | 27 | 15.2:1 | 55% (224) |
| 1990-91 | 651 | 38 | 17.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Houston County High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 14% (373 to 322); teachers down 13% (23 to 20).
About Houston County High School
As a small high school, Houston County High School serves students in Columbia, Alabama. It enrolls 322 students in 2024-25. The grades offered are 7 through 12. It has 53% fewer students than the average for high schools in Alabama (about 682).
Houston County includes 14 schools. Together they enroll 6,907 students.
About 44% of students at Houston County High School are Black, the largest single group. After that, the student body is 43% White, 8% Hispanic, and 2% multiracial. Among all residents of Houston County, the Black share is about 27%. A diversity index of 61% means there is a 61% chance two randomly chosen students at Houston County High School are from different groups.
Houston County High School lists 20 full-time-equivalent teachers; that is about 16.1 students per teacher. Across high schools in Alabama, the average ratio is 17.2:1. Free or reduced-price lunch covers 74% of the student body. That is 11 points above the 63% average for public schools in Houston County.
On the allk12 Grade, Houston County High School lands at A, ahead of 87% of Alabama public high schools.
Houston County High School scores 34.2% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 30.1%.
Census data for Houston County show the median household earns about $58,626 a year, roughly 23% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 13%. Public schools in Houston County number 35, with about 15,127 students.
Houston County High School's nearest public school is Webb Elementary School (about 9.6 miles). Houston County High School places 5th of 9 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
Federal data place Houston County High School in the Rural: Distant locale, which means it is in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
Enrollment was essentially flat over 4 years: 330 in 2020-21, 322 in 2024-25. By 2024-25, the school had 16.1 students per teacher, compared with 14.3 in 2020-21.
Houston County High School has a community page on allk12 for topics such as pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. You can also rate the school on this page.
Houston County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
108,140
Census ACS
Median income
$58,626
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
23%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
13%
Below federal line
Schools in county
35
15,127 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Houston County
- Rehobeth High SchoolHigh · 786 students
- Rehobeth Primary SchoolElementary · 761 students
- Ashford Elementary SchoolElementary · 668 students
- Wicksburg Elementary SchoolElementary · 636 students
- Rehobeth Elementary SchoolMiddle · 590 students
- Cottonwood Elementary SchoolElementary · 502 students
Other Houston County High schools
One other US public school is named Houston County High. Houston County High School is the 2nd largest of the 2.
- Houston County High SchoolWarner Robins, GA · 2,051 students
Nearby schools
- Webb Elementary School9.6 mi · 419
- Ashford Middle School10.3 mi · 316
- Ashford High School10.3 mi · 413
- Early County Elementary School10.6 mi · 758
- Ashford Elementary School10.6 mi · 668
- Early County High School11.6 mi · 506
Frequently asked questions
About Houston County High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Houston County High School?
Houston County High School enrolls approximately 322 students in grades 07-12.
Is Houston County High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Houston County High School is a high school covering grades 07-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Houston County High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Houston County High School is approximately 16.1:1 (20 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Houston County High School?
Houston County High School reports a student body of 43% White, 8% Hispanic, 44% Black, 0% Asian, 2% Two or more.
Who oversees Houston County High School?
Houston County High School is overseen by Houston County in Houston County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.