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Fort Payne High School

Q: Is Fort Payne High School a good school?

Fort Payne High School ranks 69 th of 386 Alabama high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

69^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 386 Alabama High Schools

Better than 82% of Alabama high schools

Summary

Fort Payne High School is a public high school in Fort Payne, AL, serving 1,106 students in grades 9-12 and is part of the Fort Payne City district.

This school is on a remarkable upward trajectory. In just one year, Fort Payne High School jumped from 140th to 68th in the state rankings, landing in the 82nd percentile with a 4-star rating. This isn't a fluke—the school's proficiency rates in math (35.4%), science (47.5%), and English (37.6%) all significantly exceed both district and state averages. What makes this even more impressive is that 62-70% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, yet the school achieves outstanding results with this population, ranking in the 88th percentile statewide for economically disadvantaged students. The school also shows exceptional success with Hispanic and English Language Learner students, both ranking in the top quartile statewide. With a near-perfect graduation rate of 98% (compared to the state average of 91.5%) and a low chronic absenteeism rate of just 7.8%, this is clearly a school where students are engaged and supported.

While there are no nearby schools within 20 miles for direct comparison, Fort Payne High School stands out as a model for equity and inclusion. The dramatic improvement from a dip in 2023-2024 to its best ranking in a decade suggests recent initiatives are having a profound impact. One area of concern is the inconsistent performance of Special Education students, whose rankings have fluctuated dramatically from the 77th percentile to the 9th percentile in consecutive years. Additionally, male students currently outperform female students, a shift from the previous year. Despite these areas for attention, the school's ability to achieve excellent outcomes for a student body with significant economic challenges—while maintaining high graduation rates and low absenteeism—makes it a standout choice for families in the Fort Payne area.

1,106

Students ?

16.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,252

Per pupil spending ?

62.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

201 45th St NE
Fort Payne, AL 35967

(256) 845-0535

District: Fort Payne City

Feeder schools for Fort Payne High School:

Elementary:	Little Ridge Intermediate School
	Wills Valley Elementary School
Middle:	Fort Payne Middle School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

47.2%

White:

45.5%

African American:

3.1%

See top rated Alabama high schools

Compare Fort Payne High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 35th percentile in 2016 → 82nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Alabama average (40% vs 32% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of Alabama high schools

✓98% graduate in 4 years — above the Alabama average (92%)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg30%

Alabama avg32%

69^th of 386

Alabama public high schools ?

Top 18%▲ up 47 pts since 2016

From bottom 35% (2016) to top 18% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

64^th of 140Fort Payne 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	78.0	69 of 386	82.1%	★★★★☆
2025	58.5	140 of 374	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.7	190 of 378	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.1	104 of 371	72.0%	★★★★☆
2022	50.1	166 of 367	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.6	128 of 371	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.5	180 of 366	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.7	86 of 356	75.8%	★★★★☆
2017	65.7	98 of 353	72.2%	★★★★☆
2016	34.5	229 of 351	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	50.6	166 of 353	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	53.7	153 of 358	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	64.5	90 of 358	74.9%	★★★★☆
2012	73.7	57 of 358	84.1%	★★★★☆
2011	76.3	44 of 360	87.8%	★★★★☆
2010	78.7	40 of 358	88.8%	★★★★☆
2009	77.7	42 of 357	88.2%	★★★★☆
2008	67.3	95 of 359	73.5%	★★★★☆
2007	54.6	182 of 358	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	59.4	152 of 357	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	68.3	89 of 359	75.2%	★★★★☆
2004	62.8	121 of 357	66.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	57.1	22 of 90	75.6%	★★★★☆
2025	23.1	73 of 75	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	34.6	40 of 63	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.1	23 of 43	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.3	16 of 39	59.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.8	16 of 28	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.6	17 of 29	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.8	9 of 22	59.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	70.8	90 of 377	76.1%	★★★★☆
2025	47.9	172 of 359	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.9	186 of 366	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	62.7	118 of 358	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.3	139 of 367	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.3	131 of 359	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.5	192 of 354	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	74.8	76 of 347	78.1%	★★★★☆
2017	63.1	100 of 343	70.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	75.4	13 of 70	81.4%	★★★★☆
2025	33.2	86 of 142	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.0	98 of 139	29.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.5	62 of 122	49.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	30.1	76 of 114	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.6	73 of 113	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.9	71 of 103	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.7	35 of 95	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	52.1	39 of 93	58.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	80.3	46 of 383	88.0%	★★★★☆
2025	47.1	167 of 367	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.0	246 of 375	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	68.7	88 of 349	74.8%	★★★★☆
2022	40.3	207 of 361	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	64.3	97 of 361	73.1%	★★★★☆
2019	42.7	199 of 358	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	80.9	48 of 349	86.2%	★★★★☆
2017	76.2	44 of 315	86.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	80.7	61 of 380	83.9%	★★★★☆
2025	65.2	106 of 363	70.8%	★★★★☆
2024	46.6	179 of 368	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.5	101 of 358	71.8%	★★★★☆
2022	41.5	197 of 366	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.9	135 of 366	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.4	165 of 357	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.8	106 of 350	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	63.8	99 of 339	70.8%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	34.4	46 of 66	30.3%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	32.3	37 of 57	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.3	46 of 55	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.6	28 of 45	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.8	32 of 40	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.7	28 of 40	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.7	28 of 35	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	17.5	176 of 194	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	65.1	46 of 198	76.8%	★★★★☆
2023	31.9	119 of 182	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	71.2	37 of 196	81.1%	★★★★☆
2019	49.6	70 of 171	59.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	71.5	74 of 320	76.9%	★★★★☆
2025	69.9	86 of 325	73.5%	★★★★☆
2024	56.5	111 of 325	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.9	80 of 317	74.8%	★★★★☆
2022	51.0	134 of 326	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.6	85 of 319	73.4%	★★★★☆
2019	58.9	113 of 313	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.5	57 of 300	81.0%	★★★★☆
2017	64.6	63 of 230	72.6%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)88th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)84th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)81st percentile~ school

White (2026)77th percentile-5 vs school

Female (2026)76th percentile-6 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)76th percentile-7 vs school

Native American (2025)35th percentile-27 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)30th percentile-32 vs school

Special Education (2025)9th percentile-53 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

Science48%+11 vs state

English38%+4 vs state

Mathematics35%+8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Fort Payne 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 11th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 11th Grade	Summative Assessment English 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Fort Payne High School	Public	9-12	201 45th St NE	Fort Payne	35967	DeKalb County	Fort Payne City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 845-0535	1,106	66	16.7	62.2%	503 (45.5%)	34 (3.1%)	522 (47.2%)	12 (1.1%)	11 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (2.2%)	78	69^th of 386 public high schools	82.1%		58.5	140^th of 374 public high schools	62.6%	71	35.4	47.5	37.6	$9,252	$1,129	$8,066
Alternative School	Public	5-12	155 20th Street NE	Fort Payne	35967	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	No	(256) 845-3711																			(n/a)
Fort Payne Career Academy	Public	9-12	1700 Williams Ave NE	Fort Payne	35967	DeKalb County	Fort Payne City	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(256) 845-0626	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	14.3	344^th of 386 public high schools	10.9%					(n/a)	7.3	15.6	8.1
Dekalb Technical Center	Public	10-12	409 Main St E	Rainsville	35986	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	No	(256) 638-4421																			(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Fort Payne High School

Is Fort Payne High School a good school?

Fort Payne High School ranks 69^th of 386 Alabama high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Fort Payne High School?

Fort Payne High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Little Ridge Intermediate School
Elementary : Wills Valley Elementary School
Middle : Fort Payne Middle School

How many students attend Fort Payne High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,106 students attended Fort Payne High School.

What is the racial makeup of Fort Payne High School?

Students at Fort Payne High School are 47% Hispanic, 45% White, 3% African American, 2% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Fort Payne High School in?

Fort Payne City

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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.