High Schools in Selma City

Selma City is home to two high schools—Selma High School and Saints Virtual Academy—serving grades 9–12 and 8–12 respectively, within the Selma City district, which ranks in the bottom 12% of Alabama districts.

For parents comparing the two, Selma High School is the clear academic leader despite its challenges. It enrolls 680 students and boasts a graduation rate of 86.6%, well above the virtual academy's 71.4% and close to the district's 84.9%. Its math proficiency, while still low at 6.8%, improved from 4.79% the prior year, and its state ranking jumped from the 10th to the 17th percentile. However, chronic absenteeism runs at 19.5%—nearly double the district average. In contrast, Saints Virtual Academy serves just 24 students and reports a perfect 0% chronic absenteeism rate, a likely artifact of how online attendance is tracked. Yet that advantage doesn't translate to outcomes: its graduation rate lags by 15 points, and no test score data is available, making it difficult to assess academic quality. Both schools serve predominantly low-income families, with 87% of Selma High and 75% of virtual academy students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

The most pressing concern is math proficiency at Selma High School, where only 6.8% of 11th graders meet grade-level standards—a 20-point gap versus the state average of 27.21%. Science (17.69%) and English (15.17%) proficiency also trail the state by roughly 18 points each. English scores dropped nearly 4 points year-over-year, while science slipped 1.5 points, suggesting inconsistent instruction. With per-student spending at $10,857, the district's low ranking is driven almost entirely by Selma High's performance, as the virtual academy is too small to move district metrics. For families, Selma High offers a more reliable path to graduation, but both schools face steep academic hurdles rooted in economic disadvantage.