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Jefferson County


At a glance
101stof 139 Alabama districts
Better than 27% of Alabama districts
2100 18th Street S
Birmingham, AL 35209-1891
·(205) 379-2000·All Alabama district rankings →
Statewide performance 2018–2026
2026: better than 27.3% of districts
57
Schools
35,444
Students
Top rankedBryan Elementary School85th of 686 Alabama elementary schools
Biggest riser
West Jefferson Elementary School up 189 spots statewide this year
Smallest classes
Center Point High School 14.8 students per teacher
SchoolDigger ratings
4★
3★
2★
1★
0★
7 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)
Summary:

The Jefferson County school district in Alabama serves over 33,000 students across 55 schools, including elementary, middle, and high schools, and ranks in the lower third of districts statewide. The district is marked by extreme performance disparities, with a few standout schools achieving elite results while many others struggle significantly.

At the top, Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School is the district's crown jewel, ranking #1 among all Alabama middle schools with near-perfect proficiency rates in science and English, and a chronic absenteeism rate of just 6.5%. Bryan Elementary School also excels, ranking in the 88th percentile statewide with strong math and science scores and the district's lowest poverty rate. Among traditional high schools, Corner High School leads with a 97.7% graduation rate and above-average test scores, while Mortimer Jordan High School performs solidly in the 69th percentile. Conversely, Center Point High School ranks near the bottom statewide (3rd percentile) with single-digit proficiency rates in math and English, and Erwin Intermediate School is the district's lowest-ranked school overall, with math proficiency below 10%.

The data reveals a stark socioeconomic achievement gap—the top five schools average 31.4% free/reduced lunch eligibility versus 78.9% for the bottom five—though bright spots like McCalla Elementary School and Bagley Elementary School prove high-poverty schools can succeed. Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide challenge at 16.9%, with McAdory High School and Clay-Chalkville High School exceeding 30%. Notably, spending per student shows no correlation with outcomes—Bryan Elementary achieves top results spending just $7,943 per student, while Center Point High spends $12,293 with poor results. Elementary schools generally outperform secondary schools, and the transition to middle school marks a significant drop in achievement, suggesting this is a critical intervention point for the district.

Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private




Districts nearby

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.

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