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Alabama K-12 enrollment rises slightly, bucking national trends

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama’s public K-12 enrollment rose slightly according to 2024-25 data from the Department of Education with one metro school district seeing its largest increase in enrollment in at least 30 years.

Statewide, the number of students increased by 2,502, to 729,242, a 0.3% rise and the highest total enrollment since the 2016-17 school year.

Alabama’s increase in K-12 enrollment bucks a national decline and is one of only 10 states projected to see rising enrollment through 2031, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. 

In an email to state board members, State Superintendent Eric Mackey said there are “more (students) coming than going,” noting that school districts in the Tennessee Valley area – including Limestone County, Athens City, Madison City and Huntsville City – all added “significant growth.”

On the rural student decline, Mackey noted, “Whether north or south, east or west, rural counties keep losing population and as the population drops, so does student enrollment.”

Statewide, here’s the split among charter, city and county school districts:

  • Charter students – 6,674, up from 5,176 last year,
  • City students – 280,688, up from 277,670 last year, and
  • County students – 441,880, down from 443,889 last year.

Big districts see uneven growth statewide

Alabama funds public school districts based on the number of students enrolled the previous year, so this year’s enrollment impacts next year’s funding. Additional funding is available for the state’s fastest-growing districts, but districts that continue to see declining enrollment will continue to see decreases in funding.

Birmingham City Schools, in Alabama’s second-largest city, saw a rare increase, gaining 109 students, rising from 19,999 to 20,108 . This marks only the second time in 30 years the district has added to its rolls year over year. The last increase was in 2015-16, when enrollment rose by just 47 students.

“We are very pleased to see an increase in our enrollment this year,” said Birmingham City Schools Superintendent Mark Sullivan. “Our team has worked to recruit new students and encourage our existing students to continue their education in BCS. We believe there are several factors contributing to our overall increase. Our academic achievement is improving, and our scholars have an opportunity to participate in a variety of academic and extracurricular opportunities.”

Eufaula City added 1,600 students to its virtual school – the state’s second-largest online school with a total of 6,104 students – bringing the district total to 8,304 students.

Limestone County’s virtual school – the state’s largest online school at 7,822 students- added 577 students, bringing the district total to 16,232.

Mobile County, the state’s largest school district, lost 946 students this year – a 2% year over year decline – marking its seventh consecutive year of enrollment drops.

In contrast, Huntsville City Schools, in Alabama’s largest city, added over 500 students, totaling 23,485 students.

In Montgomery County, enrollment held steady, dropping by only 52 students to 25,708. 

Baldwin County added 135 students for a total of 31,133 students, while Jefferson County lost 218 students, enrolling a total of 34,547 students this year.

Selma City Schools experienced the steepest percentage decline among traditional school districts, losing 12% of its students, dropping from 2,529 to 2,213. 

To see enrollment for Alabama’s school districts over the past 30 years, click here and a dashboard, best viewed on a large screen, will open in a new window.

The table below shows district enrollment this year compared to last year and the percentage change year over year. Click here if you are unable to see the table. 

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