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Alumni: what's one memory from North Sand Mountain School that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
694
Combined
DISTRICT 577 · STATE 673
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·JACKSON COUNTY·NCES 010183000662
North Sand Mountain School
29333 AL Highway 71, Higdon, AL 35979 · (256) 597-2368 · Jackson County
GRADES PK–12COMBINED42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL694 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 60% of Alabama public K-12 schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats 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 K-12 schools
Student : Teacher
17.8:1
39 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.2:1 · STATE 17.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
39%
273 students
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 58%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other combined schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 18 | 3% |
| Kindergarten | 48 | 7% |
| Grade 1 | 44 | 6% |
| Grade 2 | 43 | 6% |
| Grade 3 | 41 | 6% |
| Grade 4 | 42 | 6% |
| Grade 5 | 38 | 5% |
| Grade 6 | 47 | 7% |
| Grade 7 | 59 | 9% |
| Grade 8 | 61 | 9% |
| Grade 9 | 68 | 10% |
| Grade 10 | 56 | 8% |
| Grade 11 | 75 | 11% |
| Grade 12 | 54 | 8% |
This year's kindergarten class (48) is 21% smaller than its 8th grade class (61).
Student demographics
38%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 43% · 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
62.3%
AL avg 52.7%
Math
41.1%
AL avg 31.8%
What this means: On the ACAP, Alabama's statewide test, about 62 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 41 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
49.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
55.4%
based on AL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-5.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 49% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 55% 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 North Sand Mountain School
North Sand Mountain School's state test result (49.4% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Sand Mountain School this school | 694 | 39.3% | 49.4% |
| Horseshoe Bend High School New Site | 776 | 42.1% | 45.4% |
| Millry High School Millry | 509 | 40.3% | 45.3% |
| Thorsby High School Thorsby | 895 | 41.7% | 38.2% |
| South Lamar School Millport | 624 | 44.4% | 57.1% |
| Isabella High School Maplesville | 789 | 44.7% | 38.5% |
Matched among Alabama K-12 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 North Sand Mountain School ranks
Among K-12 schools| Measure | This school | In Alabama |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 49.4% | #11 of 62 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 41.1% | #11 of 62 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 62.3% | #13 of 62 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 694 | #18 of 69 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.8:1 | #40 of 61 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 37.5% | #28 of 61 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 39.3% | #63 of 65 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -0.1% | #37 of 37 |
Ranked against other public K-12 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
694
+20 (+3%) vs 2020
-3% since 1990-91, when it was 719
Student : Teacher
17.8:1
was 19.8:1
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 | 694 | 39 | 17.8:1 | 39% (273) |
| 2023-24 | 703 | 38.5 | 18.3:1 | 55% (390) |
| 2022-23 | 692 | 35.9 | 19.3:1 | 55% (383) |
| 2020-21 | 674 | 34 | 19.8:1 | 50% (334) |
| 2017-18 | 695 | 36.7 | 18.9:1 | 54% (372) |
| 2015-16 | 701 | 41 | 17.1:1 | 63% (439) |
| 2010-11 | 727 | 46 | 15.8:1 | 58% (423) |
| 2000-01 | 669 | 42 | 15.9:1 | 46% (309) |
| 1990-91 | 719 | 29 | 24.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for North Sand Mountain School.
Since 2017-18: students unchanged (695 to 694); teachers up 6% (36.7 to 39).
About North Sand Mountain School
North Sand Mountain School is a mid-sized school serving multiple grade levels found in Higdon, Alabama. It reports enrollment of 694 students in pre-K through 12.
North Sand Mountain School is one school in a 16-school district, Jackson County, which enrolls 5,159 students.
Of every 100 students at North Sand Mountain School, about 76 are White. After that, the student body is 20% Native American and 2% Hispanic. Among all residents of Jackson County, the White share is about 88%. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 38%.
There are 39 full-time-equivalent teachers at the school, a ratio of 17.8:1. The ratio is within a point of the 17.9:1 average for combined schools in Alabama. Of all students at North Sand Mountain School, 39% are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Among public schools in Jackson County, the average eligibility rate is 51%.
North Sand Mountain School holds a B allk12 Grade, placing it above 60% of Alabama public K-12 schools.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate across its state test results with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. For North Sand Mountain School, the prediction is 55.4% and the result is 49.4%.
Jackson County is the school's county. There, the median household earns about $51,908 a year, roughly 16% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 13% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Jackson County number 23, with about 7,616 students.
North Sand Mountain School's nearest public school is Davis Elementary School (about 5.0 miles). There are at least 8 more public schools inside ten miles. On state test proficiency, North Sand Mountain School ranks 3rd in a group of 9 nearby schools.
The NCES locale for North Sand Mountain School is Rural: Distant, which covers schools in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
Over the 4 years from 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment increased 3%. By 2024-25, the school had 17.8 students per teacher, compared with 19.8 in 2020-21.
The discussion board for North Sand Mountain School is open to topics like athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Jackson County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
53,053
Census ACS
Median income
$51,908
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
16%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
13%
Below federal line
Schools in county
23
7,616 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Jackson County
- Pisgah High SchoolCombined · 598 students
- Skyline High SchoolCombined · 586 students
- Woodville High SchoolCombined · 504 students
- Section High SchoolCombined · 503 students
- North Jackson High SchoolHigh · 432 students
- Stevenson Elementary SchoolElementary · 360 students
Nearby schools
- Davis Elementary School5.0 mi · 259
- Dade Middle School6.2 mi · 459
- Bryant School6.2 mi · 103
- Dade Elementary School6.6 mi · 727
- Dade County High School6.7 mi · 543
- Flat Rock School6.8 mi · 80
Frequently asked questions
About North Sand Mountain SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at North Sand Mountain School?
North Sand Mountain School enrolls approximately 694 students in grades PK-12.
What grades does North Sand Mountain School serve?
North Sand Mountain School serves grades PK-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at North Sand Mountain School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at North Sand Mountain School is approximately 17.8:1 (39 FTE teachers).
How diverse is North Sand Mountain School?
North Sand Mountain School reports a student body of 76% White, 2% Hispanic, 0% Black, 1% Two or more.
Who oversees North Sand Mountain School?
North Sand Mountain School is overseen by Jackson County in Jackson County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.