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- This page contains archived information on Alabama's public education system, primarily from 2011-2012, but also from other years due to the availability of data at the time it was written. For more recent information, view Alabama's public education page.
The Alabama public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2012 Alabama had 744,621 students enrolled in a total of 1,618 schools in 170 school districts. There were 47,723 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 16 students, which is on par with the national average of 1:16. There was roughly one administrator for every 294 students, which was also on par with the national average of one administrator for every 295 students.[1] On average Alabama spent $8,813 per pupil in 2011, which ranked it 40th highest in the nation. The state's high school graduation rate was 75 percent in 2012.
State agencies[edit]
- See also: Alabama Department of Education
The Alabama Department of Education is the state education agency of Alabama.[2]
The State Board of Education is composed of nine board members. The Governor serves as President (and ex officio member) and the eight remaining members are elected.[3]
As of 2012, the mission statement of the Alabama State Board of Education read:[4]
| “ | To provide a state system of education which is committed to academic excellence and which provides education of the highest quality to all Alabama students, preparing them for the 21st century.[5] | ” |
Regional comparison[edit]
- See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states
The following chart shows how Alabama compared to three neighboring states with respect to number of students, schools, the number of teachers per pupil, and the number of administrators per pupil in the 2011-2012 school year. Further comparisons between these states with respect to performance and financial information are given in other sections of this page.
| Regional comparison | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Schools | Districts | Students | Teachers | Teacher/pupil ratio | Administrator/pupil ratio | Per pupil spending |
| Alabama | 1,618 | 170 | 744,621 | 47,723 | 1:15.6 | 1:293.5 | $8,813 |
| Tennessee | 1,802 | 140 | 999,693 | 66,382 | 1:15.1 | 1:293.2 | $8,242 |
| Georgia | 2,388 | 216 | 1,685,016 | 111,133 | 1:15.2 | 1:274.9 | $9,253 |
| Mississippi | 1,069 | 163 | 490,619 | 32,007 | 1:15.3 | 1:251 | $7,928 |
| United States | 98,328 | 17,992 | 49,521,669 | 3,103,263 | 1:16 | 1:295.2 | $10,994 |
| Sources: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey", 2011-12 v.1a.
National Center for Education Statistics, Table 2. Number of operating public schools and districts, state enrollment, teacher and pupil/teacher ratio by state: School year 2011–12 | |||||||
Demographics[edit]
The following table displays the ethnic distribution of students in Alabama as reported in the Common Core of Data for 2011-2012.[6]
| Demographic information for Alabama's K-12 public school system compared with surrounding states | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | American Indian/Alaska Native | Asian/Pacific Islander | Black | Hispanic | White | Hawaiian Nat./Pacific Isl | Other | |
| Alabama | 0.83% | 1.34% | 34.18% | 4.66% | 58.11% | 0.04% | 0.84% | |
| Tennessee | 0.19% | 1.66% | 23.34% | 6.63% | 67.08% | 0.1% | 1% | |
| Georgia | 0.22% | 3.39% | 37.01% | 12.18% | 44.11% | 0.11% | 2.98% | |
| Mississippi | 0.2% | 0.95% | 49.62% | 2.57% | 46.01% | 0.03% | 0.62% | |
| United States | 1.1% | 4.68% | 15.68% | 24.37% | 51.21% | 0.42% | 2.54% | |
| Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey", 2011-12 v.1a. accessed May 15, 2014 | ||||||||
Enrollments by region type[edit]
During the 2011-2012 school year a plurality of students in Alabama attended rural schools. More than 62 percent of the state's students attended rural or town schools, compared to approximately 38 percent who attended city or suburban schools.
| Student distribution by region type, 2011 - 2012 (as percents) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | City schools | Suburban schools | Town schools | Rural schools | |||
| Alabama | 20.6% | 16.9% | 14.4% | 48% | |||
| Tennessee | 29.8% | 16.1% | 14% | 40.2% | |||
| Georgia | 14% | 38% | 9.9% | 38% | |||
| Mississippi | 10% | 8.9% | 28.9% | 52.2% | |||
| U.S. average | 28.9% | 34% | 11.6% | 25.4% | |||
| Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD) (timed out) | |||||||
Academic performance[edit]
| Education terms |
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| For more information on education policy terms, see this article. |
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NAEP scores[edit]
- See also: NAEP scores by state for a full comparison of all states
The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Compared to three neighboring states (Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi), Alabama's eighth grade students fared the worst in mathematics, with only 20 percent scoring at or above proficient, according to the NAEP. See the table and chart below for a full comparison.[7]
| Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Math - Grade 4 | Math - Grade 8 | Reading - Grade 4 | Reading - Grade 8 | |
| Alabama | 30% | 20% | 31% | 25% |
| Tennessee | 40% | 28% | 34% | 33% |
| Georgia | 39% | 29% | 34% | 32% |
| Mississippi | 26% | 21% | 21% | 20% |
| U.S. average | 41% | 34% | 34% | 34% |
| Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014 | ||||
Graduation rate and ACT/SAT scores[edit]
The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT for 2012 and SAT scores for 2013 in Alabama and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.[7][8][9]
| Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores* | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Graduation rate, 2012 | Average ACT composite, 2012 | Average SAT composite, 2013 | ||||
| Percent | Quintile ranking** | Score | Participation rate | Score | Participation rate | ||
| Alabama | 75% | Fourth | 20.3 | 86% | 1,608 | 7% | |
| Tennessee | 87% | First | 19.7 | 100% | 1,709 | 8% | |
| Georgia | 70% | Fifth | 20.7 | 52% | 1,452 | 75% | |
| Mississippi | 75% | Fourth | 18.7 | 100% | 1,673 | 3% | |
| U.S. average | 80% | 21.1 | 1,498 | ||||
| *Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Rate (except for Idaho, Kentucky, Oklahoma, which did not report “Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate,” but instead used their own method of calculation). **Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express | |||||||
Dropout rate[edit]
- See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states
The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades 9–12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Alabama was lower than the national average at 1.4 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 1.4 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.[10]
Educational choice options[edit]
- See also: School choice in Alabama
As of June 2015, school choice options in Alabama included: tax credits and online learning opportunities. The state also enacted charter school legislation in March 2015. In addition, about 9.87 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-12 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-13.
Developments[edit]
2013[edit]
On March 14, 2013, Governor Robert Bentley signed into law the Alabama Accountability Act. The bill gave tax credits to parents who wish to transfer their children from a failing public school district to another public or private school. The state legislature, which was controlled by Republicans, passed the bill on February 28, 2014. After signing the bill, Bentley said, "For the first time ever, we're giving all public schools the flexibility they need to better serve their students."[11]
Democrats and teacher advocacy groups contended that the bill as passed had undergone significant alterations when it went to a conference committee, "transforming it from a measure allowing flexibility to school districts into a school choice bill." Political reporter Kyle Whitmire, from The Birmingham News, said that some were concerned the legislation could result in a "brain drain, that sort of concentrates your most challenged students in school systems that are already having problems. This could really create problems on both sides, for successful school systems that suddenly might be flooded with students and with failing school systems that already have problems."[11]
2014[edit]
On April 2, 2014, Alabama enacted Senate Bill 38, which expressly recognized home instruction by someone other than a state-certified private tutor as an option for complying with the compulsory attendance requirements and redefined a church school to include either on-site or home programs. The legislation also prevented state higher education institutions from discriminating against home-schooled applicants, and stated that nonpublic schools are not subject to licensure or regulation by the state or any of its political subdivisions, including the Alabama Department of Education.[12]
Education funding and expenditures[edit]
- See also: Alabama state budget and finances
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers
According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), Alabama spent approximately 21 percent of its fiscal year 2012 budget on elementary and secondary education. As a share of the budget, this was up 7.2 percentage points, or 52.5 percent, from fiscal year 2008, when the state spent just under 14 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education.[13][14][15][16][17]
| Comparison of financial figures for school systems | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Percent of budget (2012) | Per pupil spending (2011) | Revenue sources (2011) | ||||
| Percent federal funds | Percent state funds | Percent local funds | |||||
| Alabama | 20.9% | $8,813 | 14.6% | 53.77% | 31.63% | ||
| Tennessee | 17.7% | $8,242 | 14.72% | 45.75% | 39.53% | ||
| Georgia | 24% | $9,253 | 12.57% | 41.58% | 45.85% | ||
| Mississippi | 16.9% | $7,928 | 22.33% | 45.95% | 31.72% | ||
| Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report," Table 8: Elementary and Secondary Education Expenditures As a Percent of Total Expenditures U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2011,Governments Division Reports," issued May 2013 | |||||||
Revenue breakdowns[edit]
- See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system revenues totaled approximately $7.4 billion in fiscal year 2011. The table and chart below present further detail, including revenue sources, for Alabama and surrounding states.[18]
| Revenues by source, fiscal year 2011 (amounts in thousands) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal revenue | State revenue | Local revenue | Total revenue | |
| Alabama | $1,077,070 | $3,965,614 | $2,332,472 | $7,375,156 |
| Tennessee | $1,272,825 | $3,955,476 | $3,417,293 | $8,645,594 |
| Georgia | $2,267,612 | $7,499,327 | $8,268,366 | $18,035,305 |
| Mississippi | $1,006,465 | $2,071,467 | $1,429,770 | $4,507,702 |
| U.S. total | $74,943,767 | $267,762,416 | $264,550,594 | $607,256,777 |
| Source: National Center for Education Statistics | ||||
| Public school revenues by source, fiscal year 2011 (as percents) |
|---|
Expenditure breakdowns[edit]
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $7.4 billion in fiscal year 2011. The table and chart below present further detail, including expenditure types, for Alabama and surrounding states.[18]
| Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2011 (amounts in thousands) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General expenditures | Capital outlay | Other | Total expenditures | |
| Alabama | $6,582,496 | $564,183 | $255,905 | $7,402,584 |
| Tennessee | $7,977,696 | $661,195 | $295,742 | $8,934,633 |
| Georgia | $15,465,308 | $1,368,403 | $291,801 | $17,125,512 |
| Mississippi | $3,888,831 | $368,906 | $88,046 | $4,345,783 |
| U.S. total | $520,577,893 | $52,984,139 | $29,581,293 | $603,143,325 |
| **Funds spent operating local public schools and local education agencies, including such expenses as salaries for school personnel, student transportation, school books and materials, and energy costs, but excluding capital outlay, interest on school debt, payments to private schools, and payments to public charter schools. ***Includes payments to state and local governments, payments to private schools, interest on school system indebtedness, and nonelementary-secondary expenditures, such as adult education and community services expenditures. Source: National Center for Education Statistics | ||||
| Public school expenditures, fiscal year 2011 (as percents) |
|---|
Personnel salaries[edit]
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Alabama, the average salary declined by 4.4 percent.[20]
| Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-2000 | 2009-2010 | 2011-2012 | 2012-2013 | Percent difference | |
| Alabama | $50,139 | $50,779 | $48,802 | $47,949 | -4.4% |
| Tennessee | $49,645 | $49,412 | $47,866 | $48,289 | -2.7% |
| Georgia | $56,062 | $56,694 | $53,819 | $52,880 | -5.7% |
| Mississippi | $43,535 | $48,722 | $42,339 | $41,994 | -3.5% |
| U.S. average | $57,133 | $58,925 | $56,340 | $56,383 | -1.3% |
| **"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state." | |||||
The following table details the fiscal year 2014 salary schedule for classroom teachers in Alabama. Salaries listed are the minimums for each pay grade and experience bracket.[21]
| Minimum salary schedule, fiscal year 2014 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | Master's degree | 6-year degree | Doctoral degree | Non-degree | |
| Less than 3 years | $36,867 | $42,395 | $45,714 | $49,032 | $36,867 |
| 3 - 6 | $40,551 | $46,634 | $50,283 | $53,935 | $40,551 |
| 6 - 9 | $42,327 | $48,675 | $52,499 | $56,295 | $42,327 |
| 9 - 12 | $42,894 | $49,329 | $53,191 | $57,051 | $42,894 |
| 12 - 15 | $43,674 | $50,223 | $54,155 | $58,088 | $43,674 |
| 15 - 18 | $44,670 | $51,371 | $55,391 | $59,409 | $44,670 |
| 18 - 21 | $45,247 | $52,032 | $56,105 | $60,179 | $45,247 |
| 21 - 24 | $45,825 | $52,699 | $56,822 | $60,947 | $45,825 |
| 24 - 27 | $46,370 | $53,245 | $57,370 | $61,494 | $46,370 |
| More than 27 | $46,917 | $53,792 | $57,916 | $62,040 | $46,917 |
Organizations[edit]
Unions[edit]
In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas, including: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Alabama ranked 20th overall, or "strong," which was in the second of five tiers.[22]
The main union related to the Alabama public school system is the Alabama Education Association (AEA), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA). For the 2003 tax period AEA had: $16.0 million in total revenue, $16.2 million in total expenses and $18.1 million in total assets.[23]
List of local Alabama school unions:[24]
- Alabama Education Association
- Birmingham Education Association
- Montgomery County Education Association
- Jefferson County Education Association
- American Federation of Teachers (Birmingham)
- Lawrence County Education Association
- Talladega City Education Association
Taxpayer-funded lobbying[edit]
- See also: Alabama government sector lobbying
The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Alabama School Boards Association.
Transparency[edit]
Alabama Policy Institute (API), a nonprofit organization, conducts research on education and transparency throughout the state. In 2007 the group published a piece called, "Alabama's Public Education Funding Dilemma: Does Funding Influence Outcomes?" The article focused on drawing a connection between state funding and education progress. The article analyzed dropout rates, readiness for the workforce and/or college and academic proficiency.
On February 11, 2009, Governor Bob Riley signed an Executive Order to create a state spending database.[25] The order mandated that the site, to be operated by the state Department of Finance, be operational by March 1, 2009. The site can be accessed here.
Studies and reports[edit]
State Budget Solutions study[edit]
State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates, and average ACT scores. The study showed that states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.
See also[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD); Table 2.—Number of operating public schools and districts, state enrollment, teacher and pupil/teacher ratio by state: School year 2011-12," accessed May 12, 2014
- ↑ Alabama State Department of Education, "Education Directory," accessed May 12, 2014
- ↑ Alabama State Board of Education, "Administrative Code: Chapter 290-010-010," accessed May 12, 2014
- ↑ Alabama State Department of Education, "Alabama's Education Report Card 2011-2012," accessed May 12, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey, 2011-2012," accessed May 7, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ ACT, "2012 ACT National and State Scores," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT Scores by State 2013," October 10, 2013
- ↑ United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Dropout and Graduation Rate Data File, School Year 2010-11, Provision Version 1a and School Year 2011-12, Preliminary Version 1a," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 NPR.org, "Alabama's Governor Signs Education Bill Allowing School Choice," March 14, 2013
- ↑ Home School Legal Defense Association, "New Law Recognizes Home Instruction," accessed May 22, 2104
- ↑ National Association of State Budget Officers, "State Expenditure Report, 2011-2013," accessed February 21, 2014
- ↑ National Association of State Budget Officers, "State Expenditure Report, 2009-2011," accessed February 24, 2014
- ↑ National Association of State Budget Officers, "State Expenditures Report, 2010-2012," accessed February 24, 2014
- ↑ National Association of State Budget Officers, "State Expenditure Report, 2009," accessed February 24, 2014
- ↑ National Association of State Budget Officers, "State Expenditure Report, 2008," accessed February 24, 2014
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary School Districts: School Year 2010–11," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ Maciver Institute, "REPORT: How much are teachers really paid?" accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 211.60. Estimated average annual salary of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools, by state: Selected years, 1969-70 through 2012-13," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ Alabama State Department of Education, "State Minimum Salary Schedule - Classroom Teachers," accessed May 12, 2014
- ↑ Thomas E Fordham Institute, " How Strong Are U.S. Teacher Unions? A State-By-State Comparison," October 29, 2012
- ↑ Center for Union Facts, "Alabama Education Association," accessed September 2, 2009
- ↑ Center for Union Facts, "Alabama teachers unions," accessed September 2, 2009 (dead link)
- ↑ AL.com, "Ala. governor signs order on state spending," February 11, 2009
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