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.
Alabama Education News & Data
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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.
School Choice
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.
Special Populations
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.
Enrollment
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.
District Spotlight
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.
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.
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.
