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High Schools in Etowah County

At a glance

DistrictEtowah County60^th of 140 Alabama districtsFull district overview →

Schools

2,792

Students

Top rankedGlencoe High School134^th of 386 Alabama high schools

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Biggest riser

Glencoe High School up 36 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Sardis High School 16.8 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

3★

2★

1★

1 school without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare Alabama districts →See the top-ranked Alabama schools →

Summary:

The six high schools in Etowah County, Alabama, serve a mix of grades 7-12 and 9-12, with enrollments ranging from 300 to 825 students, and collectively they graduate students at rates well above the state average, though they face challenges with chronic absenteeism and math proficiency.

For parents, Southside High School stands out as the strongest all-around academic performer, posting the highest math scores (25% proficient) and the lowest economic disadvantage rate (33.7% free/reduced lunch), while also showing steady improvement in recent years. Glencoe High School is the English and science leader, with 39.19% English proficiency (beating the state average) and 40.74% science proficiency, despite having the smallest enrollment. Gaston High School achieves a perfect 100% graduation rate, the only school in the county to do so, even though it has the highest poverty rate (63.95%) and lowest test scores. Hokes Bluff High School shows solid math performance (22.11%) but has volatile year-to-year rankings, while Sardis High School and West End High School fall in the middle academically, with West End struggling most with attendance (33.4% chronic absenteeism).

The most striking finding is the disconnect between graduation success and test performance—every school graduates over 94% of students, yet all lag state averages in math. Chronic absenteeism is a county-wide crisis, with every school exceeding the state rate of 12%, and West End's rate is nearly triple that. Interestingly, the two schools serving 7th-12th grades (West End and Gaston) show exceptional middle school English scores (West End at 75% proficiency), but those gains evaporate by 11th grade, suggesting a significant drop-off in academic momentum. Spending does not predict success: Gaston spends the most per student ($11,715) yet scores lowest, while Southside spends the least ($7,930) and performs best. Overall, Southside and Glencoe offer the strongest academic outcomes, while attendance improvement and sustaining middle school gains represent the district's biggest opportunities.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Summative Assessment Science (2026)		Summative Assessment English (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	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 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
Gaston High School	Public	7-12	4550 US Highway 411	Gadsden	35901	Etowah County	Etowah County	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 547-8828	380	20	19.0	63.9%	304 (80.0%)	20 (5.3%)	20 (5.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	31 (8.2%)	21.5	307^th of 386 public high schools	20.5%		27.3	258^th of 374 public high schools	31.0%	49	12.5	10.8	5.7	40.0	24.5	47.9	47.7	13.5	$14,232	$2,618	$11,590
Glencoe High School	Public	9-12	803 Lonesome Bend Rd	Glencoe	35905	Etowah County	Etowah County	No	No	No	No	(256) 492-2250	300	17	17.7	37.7%	271 (90.3%)	8 (2.7%)	12 (4.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.7%)	59	134^th of 386 public high schools	65.3%		51.8	170^th of 374 public high schools	54.5%	36			14.8		40.7			39.2	$15,781	$1,868	$13,911
Sardis High School	Public	9-12	1420 Church St	Sardis City	35956	Etowah County	Etowah County	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 593-5221	546	32	16.8	48.7%	432 (79.1%)	3 (0.5%)	76 (13.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.9%)	28 (5.1%)	43.8	206^th of 386 public high schools	46.6%		53.4	164^th of 374 public high schools	56.1%	42			16.5		34.7			23.9	$12,526	$1,644	$10,882
Southside High School	Public	9-12	2361 School Drive	Southside	35907	Etowah County	Etowah County	No	No	No	No	(256) 442-2172	825	43	19.0	33.7%	690 (83.6%)	46 (5.6%)	39 (4.7%)	22 (2.7%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.0%)	56.8	144^th of 386 public high schools	62.7%		60.6	130^th of 374 public high schools	65.2%	14			25.0		37.5			28.6	$10,270	$841	$9,369
West End High School	Public	7-12	4515 Elm St	Walnut Grove	35990	Etowah County	Etowah County	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 622-1112	370	21	17.6	54.6%	315 (85.1%)	7 (1.9%)	28 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.1%)	34.3	255^th of 386 public high schools	33.9%		29.4	250^th of 374 public high schools	33.2%	5	13.8	17.9	14.8	75.0	24.1	48.3	75.0	24.5	$13,743	$1,855	$11,843
Career Technical Center	Public	9-12	105 Burke Ave SE	Attalla	35954	Etowah County	Etowah County	No	No	No	No	(256) 538-3312				—															(n/a)
Hokes Bluff High School	Public	9-12	1865 Appalachia Rd	Hokes Bluff	35903	Etowah County	Etowah County	No	No	No	No	(256) 492-1360	371	21	17.4	42.0%	334 (90.0%)	3 (0.8%)	14 (3.8%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.6%)	46.9	190^th of 386 public high schools	50.8%		66.4	106^th of 374 public high schools	71.7%	84			22.1		36.8			19.6	$13,814	$1,253	$12,470

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Boaz City	6.8 mi	5	62^nd
Gadsden City	7.89 mi	15	91^st
Attalla City	8.3 mi	3	105^th
Albertville City	11 mi	7	89^th
Marshall County	12.22 mi	19	97^th

See the top AL Alabama districts

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.