schoolsbycounty

State district guide

Alabama public school districts

Compare district systems across Alabama by enrollment scale, school count, county context, generated guide coverage, and the parent checks that matter before choosing where to live.

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Direct answer for parents

What this district ranking can and cannot tell you

If you are searching for the best school districts in Alabama, start with the largest and most data-rich district systems below, then verify the specific school assigned to each address. SchoolsByCounty orders districts by reported enrollment and school count because those fields are consistent in NCES. It does not convert district size into a quality rating.

Start with scale

Mobile County

51,979 reported students

Check county context

Lauderdale County

62/100 county score

Verify locally

Address fit

Attendance boundaries and transfers are not in NCES

District table

Largest public school districts in Alabama

The first 60 rows show the largest district systems by reported enrollment. Open district guides where available, or use the county profile when a detailed district page is not generated yet.

151 districts in state file

Alabama public school districts ranked by reported enrollment.
RankDistrictStudents
1
Mobile County

LEA ID 0102370

Mobile County92 schools
51,979
2
Jefferson County

LEA ID 0101920

Jefferson County57 schools
35,951
3
Baldwin County

LEA ID 0100270

Baldwin County45 schools
31,517
4
Montgomery County

LEA ID 0102430

Montgomery County52 schools
26,821
5
Huntsville City

LEA ID 0101800

Madison County45 schools
23,776
6
Shelby County

LEA ID 0103030

Shelby County31 schools
21,179
7
Birmingham City

LEA ID 0100390

Jefferson County49 schools
21,130
8
Madison County

LEA ID 0102220

Madison County30 schools
20,551
9
Tuscaloosa County

LEA ID 0103390

Tuscaloosa County36 schools
19,377
10
Limestone County

LEA ID 0102100

Limestone County17 schools
15,887
11
Hoover City

LEA ID 0100007

Jefferson County18 schools
13,557
12
Madison City

LEA ID 0100008

Madison County11 schools
12,473
13
Elmore County

LEA ID 0101290

Elmore County17 schools
11,971
14
Tuscaloosa City

LEA ID 0103360

Tuscaloosa County20 schools
11,186
15
Cullman County

LEA ID 0101020

Cullman County27 schools
9,846
16
St Clair County

LEA ID 0103062

St. Clair County20 schools
9,747
17
Auburn City

LEA ID 0100210

Lee County14 schools
9,492
18
Lee County

LEA ID 0102070

Lee County14 schools
9,312
19
Autauga County

LEA ID 0100240

Autauga County15 schools
9,202
20
Decatur City

LEA ID 0101170

Morgan County20 schools
8,745
21
DeKalb County

LEA ID 0101140

DeKalb County15 schools
8,717
22
Etowah County

LEA ID 0101380

Etowah County24 schools
8,702
23
Lauderdale County

LEA ID 0102010

Lauderdale County15 schools
8,080
24
Calhoun County

LEA ID 0100540

Calhoun County19 schools
8,050
25
Dothan City

LEA ID 0101230

Houston County18 schools
8,021
26
Chilton County

LEA ID 0100660

Chilton County14 schools
7,858
27
Blount County

LEA ID 0100420

Blount County17 schools
7,798
28
Morgan County

LEA ID 0102480

Morgan County19 schools
7,691
29
Phenix City

LEA ID 0102700

Russell County12 schools
7,218
30
Talladega County

LEA ID 0103180

Talladega County18 schools
7,204
31
Walker County

LEA ID 0103450

Walker County18 schools
7,188
32
Vestavia Hills City

LEA ID 0103430

Jefferson County9 schools
7,069
33
Houston County

LEA ID 0101770

Houston County15 schools
6,883
34
Enterprise City

LEA ID 0101320

Coffee County10 schools
6,651
35
Alabaster City

LEA ID 0100190

Shelby County5 schools
6,425
36
Eufaula City

LEA ID 0101410

Barbour County6 schools
6,289
37
Marshall County

LEA ID 0100006

Marshall County15 schools
5,951
38
Albertville City

LEA ID 0100005

Marshall County6 schools
5,900
39
Jackson County

LEA ID 0101830

Jackson County18 schools
5,200
40
Trussville City

LEA ID 0100013

Jefferson County5 schools
5,065
41
Opelika City

LEA ID 0102580

Lee County9 schools
5,048
42
Gadsden City

LEA ID 0101620

Etowah County15 schools
4,939
43
Athens City

LEA ID 0100120

Limestone County8 schools
4,840
44
Lawrence County

LEA ID 0102040

Lawrence County14 schools
4,698
45
Florence City

LEA ID 0101530

Lauderdale County9 schools
4,489
46
Mountain Brook City

LEA ID 0102490

Jefferson County6 schools
4,409
47
Homewood City

LEA ID 0101760

Jefferson County5 schools
4,371
48
Escambia County

LEA ID 0101350

Escambia County12 schools
4,208
49
Oxford City

LEA ID 0102635

Calhoun County7 schools
4,203
50
Pell City

LEA ID 0102650

St. Clair County8 schools
4,157
51
Cherokee County

LEA ID 0100630

Cherokee County8 schools
3,886
52
Russell County

LEA ID 0102880

Russell County8 schools
3,695
53
Hartselle City

LEA ID 0101730

Morgan County6 schools
3,638
54
Franklin County

LEA ID 0101590

Franklin County10 schools
3,637
55
Fort Payne City

LEA ID 0101560

DeKalb County5 schools
3,515
56
Pelham City

LEA ID 0100194

Shelby County4 schools
3,425
57
Saraland City

LEA ID 0100185

Mobile County4 schools
3,354
58
Marion County

LEA ID 0102310

Marion County11 schools
3,329
59
Dale County

LEA ID 0101050

Dale County9 schools
3,270
60
Bessemer City

LEA ID 0100330

Jefferson County9 schools
3,246

— = enrollment not reported in the district record. District rows are informational and must be paired with local assignment tools before a housing decision.

Methodology

How to use district rankings without overreading them

District-level data is useful because it shows the operating system around a public school search: how many schools exist, which county record anchors the district, how much enrollment is reported, and whether a detailed district guide is available. It is not enough to decide where a student should enroll.

Ranking basis

Rows are ordered by reported enrollment, then school count. The method favors broad, data-rich systems because those are the districts parents most often need to research before relocation.

County context

Each district is attached to a primary county record when available. County school scores are context signals, not district ratings, and nearby counties can still matter for commute and housing decisions.

Grade pathway

Elementary, middle, and high school counts help parents spot whether a district looks like a full K-12 pathway or a narrower operating unit. Feeder patterns still require local verification.

Address verification

The final decision happens at the address level. Confirm attendance zones, open-enrollment rules, magnet admissions, charter lotteries, and transfer windows with official district sources.

County context

Districts anchored in higher-scoring county contexts

These rows pair district records with the county-level SchoolsByCounty score. Treat this as a shortlist for deeper research, not a district quality ranking.

Lauderdale County

Lauderdale County

62

Students
8,080
Schools
15
Open district guide

Florence City

Lauderdale County

62

Students
4,489
Schools
9
Open district guide

Cleburne County

Cleburne County

59

Students
2,507
Schools
9

Shelby County

Shelby County

59

Students
21,179
Schools
31
Open district guide

Alabaster City

Shelby County

59

Students
6,425
Schools
5
Open district guide

Pelham City

Shelby County

59

Students
3,425
Schools
4
Open district guide

Parent checklist before relying on a district ranking

Use this page to narrow the field, then answer these local questions before treating any district as a fit for a specific home.

Which school does this address actually feed into?

Use the district address lookup and confirm edge cases near attendance-zone borders.

What happens at transition grades?

A strong elementary fit can split into several middle or high school paths.

Are choice programs realistic for this student?

Magnet, charter, virtual, and transfer options can involve lotteries, applications, or deadlines.

Is the county context aligned with housing tradeoffs?

Pair school research with taxes, commute, home prices, and safety before choosing where to live.

Frequently Asked Questions About Alabama School Districts

What are the best school districts in Alabama?
Mobile County, Jefferson County, Baldwin County are the largest Alabama district systems by reported enrollment in the NCES file. SchoolsByCounty does not call them the best districts; use this page to find data-rich district systems, then verify assigned schools, program rules, and local fit.
How are Alabama districts ranked here?
Districts are ordered by reported student enrollment, then school count, using NCES public school district records. This is a research-priority ranking, not a quality rating.
Why do only 58 Alabama districts have district guide links?
SchoolsByCounty statically generates detailed district guides for the largest district systems nationally so the pages stay fast and substantive. Districts without guide links remain represented through county and state context pages.
Do these district pages show attendance boundaries?
No. Attendance zones, transfer rules, magnet eligibility, charter admission, transportation, and program availability must be verified with official district or local assignment tools before choosing a home.
Does a large district mean better schools?
No. Larger districts usually have more school options and more public data, but enrollment size is not a school-quality measure. Compare school-level records and official local sources before treating a district as a fit.
How many districts are included for Alabama?
This page includes 151 Alabama public school districts from the current NCES district file, alongside county context and generated district-guide availability where available.
By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished

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.

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