Clay County Schools & Education
Clay County, Alabama
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
23/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Lower Signal
Graduation Rate
87.0%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
87.0%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 90.7%
Per-Pupil Spending
$5,897
National avg $13,239
State avg $6,270
School Score
23/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 40/100
State Score Position
#58
of 67 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Clay County
Measured School Summary
Clay County faces educational challenges with a school score of 23/100 and a graduation rate of 87.0%, falling below typical benchmarks.
Funding Context
At $5,897 per pupil, Clay County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 43% below the Alabama average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 3.7 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 6% lower than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Clay County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
4 public schools and 1 district are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
23/100
Lower measured signal. Ranks #58 of 67 Alabama counties with school score data.
Completion
87.0%
3.7 pts below the state average
Funding context
$5,897
$373 below the state average
School coverage
4
1 district represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Clay County has 4 public schools across 1 district, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Clay County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Small-system county
Clay County has a compact public-school footprint. A single school change, boundary rule, or district update can move the lived experience more than the county score suggests.
State position
#58
of 67 Alabama counties with school score data. The county score is 17 points below the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
Clay County
Elementary to high school visible
1,784 students
4 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
Clay County is the largest listed district slice, with 4 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Clay County?
Which attendance zones, transfer rules, and transportation policies apply inside the local district?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Clay County reports state-low composite school score of 22.8
Education data brief for Clay County, Alabama.
In Clay County, the composite school score is 22.8, significantly lower than the Alabama state average of 40.0 and less than half of the national median of 50.0. The county operates four public schools within a single district, serving 1,784 students in exclusively rural locales. Central High School of Clay County is the largest campus, with an enrollment of 524 students. The graduation rate is 87.0%, which matches the national average but falls below the Alabama state average of 90.7%. Per-pupil expenditure is recorded at $5,897, which is lower than the state average of $6,270 and the national average of approximately $13,000. The district contains no charter schools and features an average school size of 446 students. See the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
4
in Clay County
Reported Enrollment
1,784
4 schools reporting
School Districts
1
district
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
1 School District in Clay County
Clay County
4 Public Schools in Clay County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 4 of 4 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central High School of Clay County | Record | Clay County | Lineville, 36266Rural: Distant | 9–12 | High | 524 |
| Ashland Elementary School | Record | Clay County | Ashland, 36251Rural: Distant | PK–6 | Primary | 486 |
| Lineville Elementary School | Record | Clay County | Lineville, 36266Rural: Distant | PK–6 | Primary | 484 |
| Central Jr High School of Clay County | Record | Clay County | Lineville, 36266Rural: Distant | 7–8 | Middle | 290 |
Central High School of Clay County
Clay County
Lineville, 36266 / Rural: Distant
Lineville Elementary School
Clay County
Lineville, 36266 / Rural: Distant
Central Jr High School of Clay County
Clay County
Lineville, 36266 / Rural: Distant
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$5,897
State avg $6,270
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Clay County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
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See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
Which Alabama counties have the highest graduation rates?
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What is the graduation rate in Clay County?
How much does Clay County spend per student?
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Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.