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Virgil Grissom High School

Public Grades 9-12

38^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 386 Alabama High Schools

Better than 90% of Alabama high schools

Summary

Virgil Grissom High School is a large public high school in Huntsville, AL, serving 1,847 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Huntsville City district.

Grissom is a clear academic leader, ranking 37th out of 380 high schools in Alabama (90th percentile) with a 5-star rating. This places it far ahead of most of its Huntsville City peers, such as Jemison High School (275th), Columbia High School (309th), and Lee High School (245th). It is competitive with top regional schools like Huntsville High School (18th) and Bob Jones High School (15th) in the neighboring Madison City district. Test scores are consistently well above district and state averages across all core subjects—in 2025-2026, 51.7% of 11th graders were proficient in English versus 33.7% statewide, and 46.4% were proficient in Science versus 36.2% statewide. Grissom also achieves these results efficiently, spending $7,893 per student, notably less than Jemison ($11,834) or Lee ($12,340).

What truly sets Grissom apart is its exceptional support for specific student groups. In 2025-2026, its Special Education students ranked 9th out of 197 schools statewide (95th percentile), and Military-Connected students ranked 4th out of 28 schools (86th percentile)—a dramatic improvement from the 30th-40th percentile just two years prior. However, subgroup performance has shown volatility year-to-year, and the school faces challenges. Its graduation rate dipped to 91.4% in 2024-2025, below the 96-97% rates of Huntsville High and Bob Jones. Chronic absenteeism, while improved from 20.3% to 14.1%, remains higher than the district average of 8.2%. Additionally, the Huntsville City district operates New Century Technology High School, a magnet school ranking 2nd statewide with math proficiency nearly double Grissom's—an important consideration for families seeking an application-based pathway for their highest-achieving students.

1,847

Students ?

18.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,893

Per pupil spending ?

35%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1001 Haysland Road
Huntsville, AL 35802

(256) 428-8000

District: Huntsville City

Feeder schools for Virgil Grissom High School:

Elementary:	Challenger Elementary School
	Farley Elementary School
	McDonnell Elementary School
	Mountain Gap Elementary School
	More...
	Roger B Chaffee Elementary School
	Weatherly Heights Elementary School
	Whitesburg Elementary School
Middle:	Challenger Middle School
	Mountain Gap Middle School
	Whitesburg Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

51.7%

Hispanic:

20.8%

African American:

17.4%

See top rated Alabama high schools

Compare Virgil Grissom High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 83rd percentile in 2016 → 90th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Alabama average (45% vs 32% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of Alabama high schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg39%

Alabama avg32%

38^th of 386

Alabama public high schools ?

Top 10%▲ up 8 pts since 2016

From top 17% (2016) to top 10% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6High Schools in the Huntsville City

78^th of 140Huntsville 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	86.1	38 of 386	90.2%	★★★★★
2025	74.5	85 of 374	77.3%	★★★★☆
2024	86.6	41 of 378	89.2%	★★★★☆
2023	79.9	60 of 371	83.8%	★★★★☆
2022	88.6	40 of 367	89.1%	★★★★☆
2021	87.5	40 of 371	89.2%	★★★★☆
2019	88.3	36 of 366	90.2%	★★★★★
2018	88.0	33 of 356	90.7%	★★★★★
2017	84.4	42 of 353	88.1%	★★★★☆
2016	74.8	61 of 351	82.6%	★★★★☆
2015	96.6	13 of 353	96.3%	★★★★★
2014	95.7	15 of 358	95.8%	★★★★★
2013	76.3	14 of 358	96.1%	★★★★★
2012	86.1	11 of 358	96.9%	★★★★★
2011	83.9	15 of 360	95.8%	★★★★★
2010	87.4	9 of 358	97.5%	★★★★★
2009	88.1	11 of 357	96.9%	★★★★★
2008	90.7	5 of 359	98.6%	★★★★★
2007	90.3	9 of 358	97.5%	★★★★★
2006	88.5	10 of 357	97.2%	★★★★★
2005	89.4	8 of 359	97.8%	★★★★★
2004	87.7	10 of 357	97.2%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	61.8	66 of 238	72.3%	★★★★☆
2025	37.9	125 of 228	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	62.9	52 of 231	77.5%	★★★★☆
2023	47.2	93 of 224	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.1	55 of 222	75.2%	★★★★☆
2021	57.0	63 of 228	72.4%	★★★★☆
2019	70.5	44 of 224	80.4%	★★★★☆
2018	61.1	59 of 223	73.5%	★★★★☆
2017	47.7	80 of 189	57.7%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	59.1	8 of 16	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	5.5	18 of 18	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	59.7	8 of 17	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	12.3	13 of 15	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	65.9	8 of 16	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.2	9 of 18	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.7	8 of 18	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.8	12 of 18	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	60.4	8 of 17	52.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	49.1	34 of 90	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	37.8	40 of 75	46.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	26.3	48 of 63	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.1	23 of 43	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.9	37 of 39	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	33.8	18 of 28	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	75.4	5 of 29	82.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	81.7	51 of 377	86.5%	★★★★☆
2025	70.6	99 of 359	72.4%	★★★★☆
2024	87.0	42 of 366	88.5%	★★★★☆
2023	78.5	66 of 358	81.6%	★★★★☆
2022	85.1	42 of 367	88.6%	★★★★☆
2021	82.3	49 of 359	86.4%	★★★★☆
2019	83.8	53 of 354	85.0%	★★★★☆
2018	84.8	45 of 347	87.0%	★★★★☆
2017	85.3	37 of 343	89.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	63.4	18 of 70	74.3%	★★★★☆
2025	30.0	92 of 142	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.1	49 of 139	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.5	56 of 122	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	32.0	75 of 114	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.6	53 of 113	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.9	27 of 103	73.8%	★★★★☆
2018	62.3	30 of 95	68.4%	★★★★☆
2017	34.7	57 of 93	38.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	68.6	81 of 383	78.9%	★★★★☆
2025	41.7	198 of 367	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	71.2	76 of 375	79.7%	★★★★☆
2023	54.8	130 of 349	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.1	210 of 361	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	68.6	82 of 361	77.3%	★★★★☆
2019	69.0	95 of 358	73.5%	★★★★☆
2018	79.8	53 of 349	84.8%	★★★★☆
2017	54.5	114 of 315	63.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	87.2	39 of 380	89.7%	★★★★☆
2025	74.8	69 of 363	81.0%	★★★★☆
2024	81.9	47 of 368	87.2%	★★★★☆
2023	76.6	63 of 358	82.4%	★★★★☆
2022	88.6	36 of 366	90.2%	★★★★★
2021	88.8	32 of 366	91.3%	★★★★★
2019	89.6	28 of 357	92.2%	★★★★★
2018	87.8	38 of 350	89.1%	★★★★☆
2017	78.9	51 of 339	85.0%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	81.9	4 of 28	85.7%	★★★★☆
2025	42.7	18 of 29	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.6	16 of 24	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	13.5	25 of 27	7.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.7	17 of 26	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.0	16 of 25	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	71.8	5 of 14	64.3%	★★★★☆
2018	25.7	13 of 18	27.8%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	65.1	35 of 123	71.5%	★★★★☆
2025	65.5	19 of 66	71.2%	★★★★☆
2024	70.7	17 of 56	69.6%	★★★★☆
2023	48.6	19 of 45	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.5	16 of 40	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.5	17 of 43	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.9	20 of 37	45.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.5	6 of 24	75.0%	★★★★☆
2017	63.1	7 of 19	63.2%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	57.5	18 of 57	68.4%	★★★★☆
2024	21.2	49 of 55	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	91.1	9 of 197	95.4%	★★★★★
2025	45.5	94 of 194	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	83.2	17 of 198	91.4%	★★★★★
2023	65.7	44 of 182	75.8%	★★★★☆
2022	83.1	17 of 169	89.9%	★★★★★
2021	85.7	16 of 196	91.8%	★★★★★
2019	37.5	105 of 171	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	78.4	23 of 160	85.6%	★★★★☆
2017	45.6	39 of 83	53.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	89.7	29 of 320	90.9%	★★★★★
2025	75.0	68 of 325	79.1%	★★★★☆
2024	78.7	58 of 325	82.2%	★★★★☆
2023	75.3	73 of 317	77.0%	★★★★☆
2022	84.3	38 of 326	88.3%	★★★★☆
2021	84.5	42 of 319	86.8%	★★★★☆
2019	85.1	38 of 313	87.9%	★★★★☆
2018	89.5	34 of 300	88.7%	★★★★☆
2017	82.1	33 of 230	85.7%	★★★★☆

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)95th percentile+5 vs school

White (2026)91st percentile~ school

Male (2026)90th percentile~ school

Female (2026)86th percentile-4 vs school

Military Connected (2026)86th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)79th percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)74th percentile-16 vs school

African American (2026)72nd percentile-18 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)72nd percentile-19 vs school

Native American (2025)68th percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)62nd percentile-28 vs school

Asian (2026)50th percentile-40 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English52%+18 vs state

Science46%+10 vs state

Mathematics38%+11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Virgil Grissom 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
Virgil Grissom High School	Public	9-12	1001 Haysland Road	Huntsville	35802	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-8000	1,847	100	18.5	35.0%	955 (51.7%)	321 (17.4%)	385 (20.8%)	57 (3.1%)	6 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	120 (6.5%)	86.1	38^th of 386 public high schools	90.2%		74.5	85^th of 374 public high schools	77.3%	47				37.9		46.4				51.7	$7,893	$397	$7,494
Huntsville Center For Technology	Public	9-12	2603 Memorial Parkway NW	Huntsville	35810	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-7810																			(n/a)
Huntsville High School	Public	9-12	2304 Billie Watkins St SW	Huntsville	35801	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-8050	1,807	103	17.5	32.8%	1,068 (59.1%)	458 (25.3%)	149 (8.2%)	28 (1.5%)	13 (0.7%)	3 (0.2%)	88 (4.9%)	94	19^th of 386 public high schools	95.1%		90.7	30^th of 374 public high schools	92.0%	11				45.8		52.1				65.4	$7,531	$475	$7,055
Lee High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	2500 Meridian Street	Huntsville	35811	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	Yes	No	Yes	(256) 428-8150	877	49	18.0	59.7%	143 (16.3%)	576 (65.7%)	116 (13.2%)	3 (0.3%)	8 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	30 (3.4%)	36.3	246^th of 386 public high schools	36.3%		40.9	207^th of 374 public high schools	44.7%	39				10.1		22.9				32.2	$12,340	$1,764	$10,575
New Century Technology High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	2500 Meridian Street NW	Huntsville	35811	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	Yes	No	No	(256) 428-7800	366	27	13.5	20.8%	176 (48.1%)	106 (29.0%)	54 (14.8%)	12 (3.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.4%)	100	3^rd of 386 public high schools	99.2%		99.8	4^th of 374 public high schools	98.9%	1				75.3		82.7				90.1
Columbia High School	Public	9-12	300 Explorer Boulevard	Huntsville	35806	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7576	916	54	16.9	57.5%	117 (12.8%)	469 (51.2%)	264 (28.8%)	7 (0.8%)	5 (0.5%)	6 (0.7%)	48 (5.2%)	21.3	311^th of 386 public high schools	19.4%		18.6	303^rd of 374 public high schools	19.0%	8				7.2		16.3				20.5	$10,661	$882	$9,778
Jemison High School	Public	9-12	5000 Pulaski Pike	Huntsville	35810	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-8100	858	44	19.4	69.5%	47 (5.5%)	616 (71.8%)	158 (18.4%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	31 (3.6%)	28.4	276^th of 386 public high schools	28.5%		12.9	343^rd of 374 public high schools	8.3%	67				14.6		19.3				21.3	$11,834	$2,162	$9,671
Madison County Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	6-12	1275 Jordan Rd Building A	Huntsville	35811	Madison County	Madison County	No	No	Yes	No	(256) 852-2557	513	30	17.2	39.6%	347 (67.6%)	56 (10.9%)	37 (7.2%)	12 (2.3%)	31 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.8%)	25.4	285^th of 386 public high schools	26.2%		62.7	120^th of 374 public high schools	67.9%	165	27.8	28.6	13.8	6.9	55.2	23.5	72.2	85.0	51.7	20.0
Madison County Career Technical Center	Public	9-12	1275 Jordan Rd Bldg A	Huntsville	35811	Madison County	Madison County	No	No	No	No	(256) 852-2170	0	11	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Madison County High School	Public	9-12	174 Brock Rd	Gurley	35748	Madison County	Madison County	No	No	No	No	(256) 851-3270	451	26	17.3	35.0%	317 (70.3%)	38 (8.4%)	35 (7.8%)	2 (0.4%)	42 (9.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.8%)	76.8	76^th of 386 public high schools	80.3%		95.9	12^th of 374 public high schools	96.8%	64				39.3		42.7				36.8	$11,207	$1,075	$10,093

Frequently Asked Questions about Virgil Grissom High School

What schools feed into Virgil Grissom High School?

Virgil Grissom High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Challenger Elementary School
Elementary : Farley Elementary School
Elementary : McDonnell Elementary School
Elementary : Mountain Gap Elementary School
Elementary : Roger B Chaffee Elementary School
Elementary : Weatherly Heights Elementary School
Elementary : Whitesburg Elementary School
Middle : Challenger Middle School
Middle : Mountain Gap Middle School
Middle : Whitesburg Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Virgil Grissom High School?

Students at Virgil Grissom High School are 52% White, 21% Hispanic, 17% African American, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Is Virgil Grissom High School a good school?

Yes. Virgil Grissom High School ranks in the top 9.8% of Alabama high schools.

How many students attend Virgil Grissom High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,847 students attended Virgil Grissom High School.

What district is Virgil Grissom High School in?

Huntsville 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.