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Bessemer City High School

Public Grades 9-12

353^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 380 Alabama High Schools

Better than 7% of Alabama high schools

Summary

Bessemer City High School is a public high school in Bessemer, Alabama, serving 760 students in grades 9-12 within the Bessemer City district, a community where nearly 80% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The most pressing issue at Bessemer City is chronic absenteeism. In the 2024-2025 school year, 41.7% of students were chronically absent—more than triple the state average of 12% and dramatically higher than nearby Wenonah High School (6.4%) and Midfield High School (6.1%). While this rate has improved from a staggering 56.2% two years ago, it remains a critical barrier to learning. The school also carries a high student-teacher ratio of 21.7, exceeding all neighboring schools, which range from 15.7 at Pleasant Grove High School to 20.1 at Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School.

Despite these challenges, there are notable bright spots. The graduation rate has rebounded impressively from a low of 65.3% in 2022-2023 to 85.5% in 2024-2025, nearly matching the rates at Pleasant Grove (86.0%) and Wenonah (85.4%). Most remarkably, the school's Special Education program ranks in the top 10% statewide (90th percentile), a dramatic improvement from the 34th percentile the previous year. However, academic proficiency remains low overall—English proficiency (8.59%) and math proficiency (5.39%) lag far behind Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School, just two miles away, where proficiency rates are 34.88% and 11.63% respectively. The school's state ranking has improved from the 2nd to 7th percentile, suggesting recent interventions may be gaining traction, though significant work remains.

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 — 5th percentile in 2016 → 7th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (8% vs 32% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school8%

District avg8%

Alabama avg32%

353^rd of 380

Alabama public high schools ?

Bottom 7%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Alabama High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

132^nd of 139Bessemer 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
2026	10.8	353 of 380	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	25.9	186 of 234	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	34.0	67 of 89	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	10.4	348 of 372	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	11.2	67 of 69	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	16.7	341 of 377	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	12.9	341 of 375	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	14.0	115 of 122	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	81.5	20 of 197	89.8%	★★★★★
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 (2026)90th percentile+83 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)25th percentile+18 vs school

African American (2026)21st percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)10th percentile~ school

Male (2026)9th percentile~ school

Female (2026)6th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)6th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)3rd percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

Science9%-27 vs state

English9%-25 vs state

Mathematics5%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bessemer City High School

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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 (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 (2025)	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 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%)	10.8	353^rd of 380 public high schools	7.1%		9	366^th of 374 public high schools	2.1%	13				5.4		9.4				8.6	$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%)	35.1	253^rd of 380 public high schools	33.4%					(n/a)				11.6		16.3				34.9
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%)	24.1	289^th of 380 public high schools	23.9%		13.1	340^th of 374 public high schools	9.1%	51				9.7		24.5				14.8	$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%)	29.9	268^th of 380 public high schools	29.5%		22	289^th of 374 public high schools	22.7%	21				16.8		24.3				16.3	$8,484	$737	$7,729
Midfield Area Vocational Department	Public	9-12	1600 High School Dr	Midfield	35221	Jefferson County	Midfield City	No	No	No	No	(205) 923-2833																			(n/a)
Midfield High School	Public	9-12	1600 High School Rd	Midfield	35228	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	368^th of 380 public high schools	3.2%		8.4	369^th of 374 public high schools	1.3%	1				1.5		9.2				4.8	$12,982	$1,936	$11,042
Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School	Public	6-12	1450 Carson Road North	Birmingham	35127	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	No	(205) 379-5280	345	20	17.6	38.3%	143 (41.4%)	139 (40.3%)	50 (14.5%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.2%)								(n/a)	69.6	78.5	66.7	80.9	98.0	89.4	97.4	95.7	98.0	91.5	$13,217	$835	$12,351
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%)	18.2	318^th of 380 public high schools	16.3%		11.6	353^rd of 374 public high schools	5.6%	35	1.1	1.1	2.8	10.5	28.7	17.5	28.6	29.7	41.3	11.0	$9,862	$1,075	$8,762

Frequently Asked Questions about Bessemer City High School

What district is Bessemer City High School in?

Bessemer City

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

How many students attend Bessemer City High School?

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

What is the racial makeup of Bessemer City High School?

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

Is Bessemer City High School a good school?

Bessemer City High School ranks in the bottom 7.1% of Alabama high schools.

Rate Bessemer City High School!

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2026

2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 27, 2025

2024–25 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2025

2021–22 through 2023–24 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 2, 2024

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.