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Bessemer City High School

Public Grades 9-12

366^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 374 Alabama High Schools

Better than 2% of Alabama high schools

Summary

Bessemer City High School is a public high school in Bessemer, Alabama, serving 805 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Bessemer City District, which is ranked 131 out of 135 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Bessemer City High School has consistently ranked in the bottom quartile of Alabama high schools over the past 10 years.

Bessemer City High School faces significant challenges in academic performance, with only 1.27% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to the state average of 23.71%. The school's proficiency rates in Science (5.1%) and English (4.08%) for 11th-grade students are also well below the state averages. Additionally, the school has struggled with low graduation rates, with a 4-year graduation rate of 71.3% in the 2023-2024 school year, compared to the state average of 90%. The school also has alarmingly high chronic absenteeism rates, reaching 48% in the 2023-2024 school year.

When compared to nearby high schools, such as Pleasant Grove High School, Wenonah High School, and Hoover High School, Bessemer City High School significantly underperforms in academic assessments, graduation rates, and other key metrics. For instance, Hoover High School, located just 9.49 miles away, ranked 24 out of 374 Alabama high schools in the 2024-2025 school year, with much higher proficiency rates in Mathematics, Science, and English.

760

Students ?

21.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,771

Per pupil spending ?

79.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4950 Premiere Parkway
Bessemer, AL 35022

(205) 432-3700

District: Bessemer City

Feeder schools for Bessemer City High School:

Elementary:	Abrams Elementary School
	Charles F Hard Elementary School
	Greenwood Elementary School
	Jonesboro Elementary School
	More...
	Westhills Elementary School
Middle:	Bessemer City Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

76.7%

Hispanic:

21.8%

White:

0.9%

See top rated Alabama high schools

Compare Bessemer City High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 2nd percentile in 2015 → 2nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Alabama average (45% vs 29% meeting standards)

Worth a look

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Alabama average (86% vs 92%)

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 12% Alabama)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg45%

Alabama avg29%

366^th of 374

Alabama public high schools ?

Bottom 2%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Alabama High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

131^st of 135Bessemer City among Alabama districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	9.0	366 of 374	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	318 of 378	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	342 of 371	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.7	333 of 367	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.9	320 of 371	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	4.8	357 of 366	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.9	344 of 356	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.0	349 of 353	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	7.9	334 of 351	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	5.5	347 of 353	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	8.4	347 of 358	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	18.9	342 of 358	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	1.7	356 of 358	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	6.6	351 of 360	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	17.1	334 of 358	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	20.9	326 of 357	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	37.5	270 of 359	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	44.6	225 of 358	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	36.1	288 of 357	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	25.6	314 of 359	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	33.6	282 of 357	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	22.6	211 of 228	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	38.4	125 of 231	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.5	182 of 224	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.1	157 of 222	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.3	139 of 228	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	15.2	210 of 224	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.8	206 of 223	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	18.4	175 of 189	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	25.3	62 of 75	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.4	41 of 63	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.1	23 of 43	46.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.3	16 of 39	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.6	12 of 28	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.5	15 of 29	48.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	11.7	338 of 359	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.4	331 of 366	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.3	332 of 358	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.9	317 of 367	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.0	297 of 359	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	3.9	347 of 354	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.2	341 of 347	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	7.3	332 of 343	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	11.7	136 of 142	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.0	132 of 139	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	29.6	83 of 122	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.0	81 of 114	28.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	18.0	99 of 113	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.5	90 of 103	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	47.7	48 of 95	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	17.2	82 of 93	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	12.1	355 of 367	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.5	288 of 375	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.6	313 of 349	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.0	335 of 361	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.5	287 of 361	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	7.1	344 of 358	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.5	328 of 349	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	6.8	361 of 363	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.8	283 of 368	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.3	335 of 358	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.1	351 of 366	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.2	329 of 366	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	6.6	344 of 357	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.2	328 of 350	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	6.5	65 of 66	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.8	56 of 56	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.8	40 of 45	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.4	42 of 43	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	33.1	129 of 194	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.4	74 of 198	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	25.2	147 of 182	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	72.4	34 of 169	79.9%	★★★★☆
2021	71.8	36 of 196	81.6%	★★★★☆
2019	37.7	103 of 171	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	20.0	130 of 160	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	6.1	322 of 325	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.9	285 of 325	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	4.5	316 of 317	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.4	321 of 326	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.6	302 of 319	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.5	300 of 313	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2025)34th percentile+31 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)17th percentile+15 vs school

African American (2025)7th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)6th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)4th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)2nd percentile~ school

White (2025)1st percentile~ school

Male (2025)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Alabama (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics127%+103 vs state

Science5%-27 vs state

English4%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bessemer City High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2025)				Summative Assessment Science (2025)		Summative Assessment English (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 11th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 11th Grade	Summative Assessment English 6th Grade	Summative Assessment English 7th Grade	Summative Assessment English 8th Grade	Summative Assessment English 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Bessemer City High School	Public	9-12	4950 Premiere Parkway	Bessemer	35022	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 432-3700	760	35	21.7	79.6%	7 (0.9%)	583 (76.7%)	166 (21.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	9	366^th of 374 public high schools	2.1%		16.8	318^th of 378 public high schools	15.9%	48				1.3		5.1				4.1	$9,771	$1,979	$7,776
Bessemer Center For Technology	Public	9-12	4940 Premiere Parkway	Bessemer	35022	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	No	(205) 432-3805																			(n/a)
Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School	Public, Charter	9-12	114 2nd Avenue North	Bessemer	35020	Jefferson County	Alabama Aerospace and Aviation	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(205) 538-0702	161	8	20.1	61.5%	13 (8.1%)	126 (78.3%)	12 (7.5%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (5.6%)								(n/a)				13.2		28.3
McAdory High School	Public	9-12	4800 McAdory School Rd	Mc Calla	35111	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	No	(205) 379-4700	1,259	70	18.1	52.7%	200 (15.9%)	797 (63.3%)	238 (18.9%)	6 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (1.4%)	13.1	340^th of 374 public high schools	9.1%		18.3	310^th of 378 public high schools	18.0%	30				4.1		11.6				5.1	$8,839	$665	$8,156
New Horizon Alternative School	Public	7-12	1701 6th Ave N	Bessemer	35020	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	No	(205) 432-3036																			(n/a)
Hueytown High School	Public	9-12	4881 15th Street Road	Hueytown	35023	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	No	(205) 379-4150	1,200	72	16.6	66.0%	272 (22.7%)	686 (57.2%)	219 (18.3%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (1.5%)	22	289^th of 374 public high schools	22.7%		18.7	308^th of 378 public high schools	18.5%	19				8.1		14.1				15.0	$8,484	$737	$7,729
Midfield Area Vocational Department	Public	9-12	1600 High School Dr	Midfield	35228	Jefferson County	Midfield City	No	No	No	No	(205) 923-2833																			(n/a)
Midfield High School	Public	9-12	1600 High School Rd	Midfield	35221	Jefferson County	Midfield City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 923-2834	327	19	17.6	83.5%	2 (0.6%)	301 (92.0%)	20 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	8.4	369^th of 374 public high schools	1.3%		9.9	366^th of 378 public high schools	3.2%	3				0.0		5.9				3.2	$12,982	$1,936	$11,042
Pleasant Grove High School	Public	6-12	100 Spartan Drive	Pleasant Grove	35127	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	No	(205) 379-5250	752	48	15.7	63.4%	23 (3.1%)	683 (90.8%)	33 (4.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.6%)	11.6	353^rd of 374 public high schools	5.6%		10.1	364^th of 378 public high schools	3.7%	11	8.3	4.7	3.1	4.4	17.4	8.0	39.3	47.7	37.8	4.5	$9,862	$1,075	$8,762
Wenonah High School	Public	9-12	2800 Wilson Rd SW	Birmingham	35221	Jefferson County	Birmingham City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 231-1675	670	39	17.1	81.2%	7 (1.0%)	591 (88.2%)	64 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.0%)	13.2	338^th of 374 public high schools	9.6%		7.8	373^rd of 378 public high schools	1.3%	35				1.3		6.6				12.1	$13,629	$2,136	$11,490

Frequently Asked Questions about Bessemer City High School

What district is Bessemer City High School in?

Bessemer City

How many students attend Bessemer City High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 760 students attended Bessemer City High School.

Is Bessemer City High School a good school?

Bessemer City High School ranks in the bottom 2.1% of Alabama high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Bessemer City High School?

Students at Bessemer City High School are 77% African American, 22% Hispanic.

What schools feed into Bessemer City High School?

Bessemer City High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Abrams Elementary School
Elementary : Charles F Hard Elementary School
Elementary : Greenwood Elementary School
Elementary : Jonesboro Elementary School
Elementary : Westhills Elementary School
Middle : Bessemer City Middle School

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Alabama State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.