Southside High School

As a cozy secondary school in Selma, Alabama, Southside High School teaches 285 students from grades 9 through 12, overseen by Dallas County. That puts it 58% below the typical public school in Alabama, which averages around 682 students.

Across the 11 schools in Dallas County (2,283 students total), Southside High School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Southside High School lists that 94% of students identify as Black, making the school strongly Black-majority. The remainder is composed of 3% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 70% Black, putting the school's mix considerably more Black than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Southside High School has 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.4:1. The state averages around 17.2:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 89% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

After controlling for student poverty, Southside High School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 19.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 4.6%.

Around the school, Dallas County reports that median household earnings sit near $35,627, 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 26% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Dallas County's 23 public schools (combined enrollment of about 4,584 students), Southside High School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Bruce K Craig Elementary School, around 4.1 miles off. 2 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Southside High School ranks 8th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 39.7%.

The campus sits in an outlying setting.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Southside High School has decreased 18%, going from 349 students in 2018 to 285 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 99% to 94% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 14.6:1 in 2018 to 13.4:1 today.

Inside the community feed, members of the Southside High School community share and discuss sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.