Achievement Gap
Alabama's White-Black Graduation Gap Ended Near Where It Began
Alabama's White-Black graduation-rate gap was 4.1 points in 2015 and 4.2 points in 2025, although annual gaps ranged from 3.0 to 4.7 points.
Alabama
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Alabama, grounded in Alabama Department of Education data.
Hispanic Students in Alabama Have Lower Chronic Absenteeism Than White Students
Hispanic students in Alabama have lower chronic absenteeism than white students in five of seven years and in 96 of 132 school districts.
Alabama's Chronic Absence Rate Fell Again; Barbour County Moved the Other Way
Alabama's chronic absence rate fell for a second year, while Barbour County rose 10.5 points to the state's highest published district rate.
Alabama Still Enrolls More Kindergartners Than Seniors, but the Margin Is Narrower
Alabama's 2025-26 kindergarten class remains larger than grade 12 statewide, while district entry-exit balances point in different directions.
Alabama's Black-White Absence Gap Was 5.3 Times Its 2019 Size
Alabama's Black-White chronic-absence gap grew from 0.63 point in 2019 to 3.31 points in 2025, after peaking at 6.55 points in 2022.
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Demographics
English Learners Had Alabama's Second-Lowest Chronic Absence Rate in 2025
English learners had Alabama's second-lowest reported subgroup chronic absenteeism rate in 2025 at 8.38%, and their rate was below the statewide rate in all seven available years.
Equity
Alabama's Gender Graduation Gap Hit Its Narrowest Point in the Available Series
Alabama's male-female graduation gap narrowed to 3.1 points in 2025, the smallest in the available series, as the male rate reached 90%.
Absence
Alabama's Black Belt: Where Chronic Absenteeism Is Twice the State Average
Across Alabama's 20 Black Belt counties, chronic absenteeism averages 22.4%, nearly double the state rate, with only three of 20 districts recovering to pre-COVID levels.
Personnel
Marketa George Brings a Relationship Focus to Faine
Dothan City Schools names Marketa George principal of Jerry Lee Faine Elementary, where she will lead a 285-student campus.
Personnel
Aundria Sewell Steps Into Beverlye With a Culture-First Lens
Dothan City Schools names Aundria L. Sewell principal of Beverlye Intermediate, where she will lead a 335-student campus.
District Spotlight
Conecuh County: From 74.6% to 92.0%, a Rural Turnaround Worth Studying
Conecuh County's graduation rate rose 17 points in a decade, from well below to above the state average. A rare rural turnaround story.
Demographics
Hispanic Students: From the Series' Widest Gap to Near-Parity in Two Years
Alabama's white-Hispanic graduation gap moved from 0.9 points in 2016 to a series-high 6.1 points in 2023, then to 1.8 points in 2025.
Equity
Students Who Are Homeless Hit 86.3%: Their Highest Rate in Alabama's 2015 Through 2025 Data
The graduation rate for students who are currently homeless in Alabama reached 86.3% in 2025, the highest mark in the state's 2015 through 2025 series.
Enrollment
30 Alabama District-Level Entities Enroll Fewer Than 1,000 Students
Thirty of Alabama's 155 district-level entities enroll fewer than 1,000 students, but together they serve 2.6% of students.
District Spotlight
The Black Belt Split: Same Region, Opposite Trajectories
Alabama's Black Belt is splitting: Hale County's graduation rate rose 10 points while Sumter County's fell 17. A 27-point swing between neighbors.
