Westhills Elementary School

As a compact elementary school in Bessemer, Alabama, Westhills Elementary School hosts 277 students from grades pre-K through 5, run under Bessemer City. Compared to the state average of about 480 students per school, that is 42% leaner than typical.

Bessemer City comprises 7 schools with combined enrollment of 3,012 students; Westhills Elementary School is among them.

Looking at the student body, Westhills Elementary School shows that nearly all students (85%) are Black. The remainder breaks down as 12% Hispanic. By comparison, Jefferson County as a whole is about 42% Black, so the school skews considerably more Black than its surroundings.

On the resource side, On paper, Westhills Elementary School has 16 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 17.3:1. The state averages about 17.0:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. An estimated 74% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Jefferson County runs at roughly 52%, so the school's eligibility rate is higher than the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, Westhills Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 30.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 23.4%.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Jefferson County put median household earnings sit near $66,388, 36% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. Westhills Elementary School is one of 181 public schools in Jefferson County (combined enrollment of about 97,401 students).

The closest other public school is Bessemer City Middle School, roughly 0.8 miles away. 8 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), Westhills Elementary School ranks 8th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 43.8%.

Geographically, the school is in a suburban area.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Westhills Elementary School has declined 22%, going from 353 students in 2018 to 277 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment shrank from 96% to 85% over that span. Class-load math has pulled in: from 18.6:1 in 2018 to 17.3:1 in 2025.

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