Special Populations
One in 14 Alabama Students Is Now an English Learner
Alabama's English learner population has nearly quadrupled since 2015, from 13,793 to 51,068 students, reshaping classrooms from the poultry corridor to Birmingham.
Alabama
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Alabama, grounded in Alabama Department of Education data.
Half of Limestone County's Students Are Virtual
Alabama's three fastest-growing districts owe their growth to statewide virtual schools run by Pearson and Stride, not local enrollment gains.
English Learners Made a 15-Point Leap in Two Years, the Fastest Improvement of Any Group
The graduation rate for Alabama students who are English learners rose from 67.9% to 83.3% in two years, the fastest gain of any subgroup and an all-time high.
One in Three Alabama Districts at All-Time Enrollment Lows
Fifty-one Alabama districts hit record-low enrollment in 2025-26, including the four largest. The decline spans urban, rural, and suburban systems.
Montgomery's 17-Point Crash Was the Biggest in the State. Two Years Later, It's Still Not Back.
Montgomery County's graduation rate crashed 17 points in 2023, the largest single-year district drop in Alabama. Two years later, it has recovered only partially.
More Coverage
Diploma Quality
Alabama's Hidden Revolution: The Diploma Quality Gap Collapsed in a Decade
Alabama's gap between graduation rate and college/career readiness collapsed from 49 points to 4 over a decade, one of the most dramatic diploma quality improvements in any state.
Enrollment
Alabama Is 32,000 Students Below Its Pre-COVID Trajectory
If pre-pandemic trends had held, Alabama would have 746,099 students. Instead it has 714,363, and the gap widens every year.
Equity
Alabama's Foster Care Graduation Rate Is the Only One That Hasn't Recovered
Alabama's foster care graduation rate fell from 77% in 2019 to 62% in 2025, the only subgroup with a net decline while every other group improved.
District Spotlight
Eleven Rural Alabama Districts Have Lost 40% of Their Students Since 2015
Eleven rural Alabama districts have lost 40% of their enrollment since 2015. Perry County alone is down 57.7%, and the funding formula makes the spiral worse.
District Spotlight
Birmingham Has Been Stuck at 81% for a Decade
Birmingham City's graduation rate has barely moved in a decade (79.4% in 2015, 81.0% in 2025) while the state improved by nearly 5 points around it.
Covid Impact
Alabama Recovered to Its Second-Highest Graduation Rate Ever After the 2023 Dip
Alabama's graduation rate hit 91.56% in 2025 (second-highest ever) after a 2.5-point dip in 2023 when COVID-era supports expired.
Enrollment
Nine Alabama Districts Haven't Grown in Over a Decade
Nine districts have declined every single year since 2015, losing up to 58% of their students. Seven sit in the Black Belt.
Graduation Rate
Nine Records at Once: Alabama's Class of 2025 Set Highs Across Race, Poverty, and Disability
Nine of Alabama's 16 student subgroups hit all-time graduation rate highs in 2025, spanning race, gender, poverty, disability, and housing status.
District Spotlight
Mobile County Has Lost One in Five Students
Alabama's largest district has declined for 10 straight years, shedding 11,829 students since 2016. No year in the streak brought a gain.
Enrollment
28 Alabama Districts Have Recovered to Pre-COVID Enrollment. Four in Five Have Not
28 of 138 Alabama districts have regained pre-pandemic enrollment. The state as a whole remains 25,755 students below its fall 2019 headcount and is still falling.
