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Pell City High School

Q: Is Pell City High School a good school?

Pell City High School ranks 127 th of 386 Alabama high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

127^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 386 Alabama High Schools

Better than 67% of Alabama high schools

Summary

Pell City High School is a large public high school in Pell City, AL, serving 1,193 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Pell City district, which holds a 4-star rating.

Pell City High School is on a strong upward trajectory. After a couple of challenging years, the school surged to a rank of 126 out of 380 Alabama high schools (67th percentile) for the 2025-2026 school year, earning a 3-star rating. This is a dramatic improvement from the previous year's rank of 214. The gains are visible across core subjects—math proficiency jumped from about 20% to 27%, and English proficiency rose from 17% to 27%. The school's graduation rate has also been steadily climbing, reaching 89.7%. This academic resurgence is particularly noteworthy because Pell City spends less per student ($9,837) than nearby Leeds High School ($11,264) and Ashville High School ($13,515), yet it outperforms both in state rankings. While it still trails top-performing neighbors like Springville High School (ranked 41st) and Moody High School (ranked 67th), Pell City is clearly a solid mid-tier performer with momentum.

One of the school's standout strengths is its exceptional support for special education students. In 2025-2026, Pell City ranked 45th out of 197 schools statewide (77th percentile) for this subgroup—a dramatic improvement from the previous year and far better than many schools in the region. The school also shows strong effectiveness with its African American student population, ranking in the 65th percentile. However, there is room for growth in other areas. Chronic absenteeism, while improving from 21.8% to 13.5%, remains above the state average of 12.0%. Additionally, the school's performance with White students (47th percentile) lags behind its overall ranking, suggesting an achievement gap that warrants attention. With a student-teacher ratio of 16.8—better than most nearby schools—and a clear pattern of recent improvement, Pell City High School appears to be a school on the rise, achieving meaningful gains even while facing challenges like above-average economic disadvantage (55% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch).

1,193

Students ?

16.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,837

Per pupil spending ?

55.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1300 Cogswell Ave
Pell City, AL 35125-1299

(205) 338-2250

District: Pell City

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.2%

African American:

15.2%

Hispanic:

4.7%

See top rated Alabama high schools

Compare Pell City High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 65th percentile in 2016 → 67th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Alabama median (67th percentile)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (32% vs 39% meeting standards)

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

!English scores 19 pts below the Alabama average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school32%

District avg35%

Alabama avg39%

127^th of 386

Alabama public high schools ?

Top 33%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Alabama High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

31^st of 140Pell 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	60.2	127 of 386	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	38.8	214 of 374	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.4	199 of 378	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.9	123 of 371	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.3	136 of 367	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.4	165 of 371	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.1	171 of 366	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.2	102 of 356	71.3%	★★★★☆
2017	70.9	77 of 353	78.2%	★★★★☆
2016	59.5	124 of 351	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	60.8	113 of 353	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	49.7	178 of 358	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	56.2	175 of 358	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	47.8	228 of 358	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	50.8	208 of 360	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	45.2	229 of 358	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	43.3	237 of 357	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	47.7	215 of 359	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	39.4	253 of 358	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	31.1	306 of 357	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	47.1	216 of 359	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2004	48.3	200 of 357	44.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	55.4	82 of 238	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.4	116 of 228	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.6	101 of 231	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.3	76 of 224	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.4	125 of 222	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.7	72 of 228	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.9	41 of 224	81.7%	★★★★☆
2018	51.0	87 of 223	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	54.4	57 of 189	69.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	58.5	135 of 377	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	27.7	253 of 359	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	48.2	166 of 366	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.4	125 of 358	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.7	148 of 367	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.5	146 of 359	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.3	185 of 354	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	65.5	118 of 347	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	75.4	71 of 343	79.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2024	66.7	39 of 139	71.9%	★★★★☆
2022	80.1	17 of 114	85.1%	★★★★☆
2019	23.1	86 of 103	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	57.4	122 of 383	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	34.4	233 of 367	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.1	155 of 375	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.8	122 of 349	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.5	161 of 361	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.3	130 of 361	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.9	212 of 358	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	65.7	97 of 349	72.2%	★★★★☆
2017	76.7	42 of 315	86.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	60.0	128 of 380	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.4	174 of 363	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.7	216 of 368	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.7	131 of 358	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.5	135 of 366	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.9	193 of 366	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.4	155 of 357	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.5	82 of 350	76.6%	★★★★☆
2017	63.9	98 of 339	71.1%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	3.0	28 of 29	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	54.4	48 of 123	61.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	62.4	45 of 197	77.2%	★★★★☆
2025	22.7	166 of 194	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.9	148 of 198	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.4	92 of 182	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.6	99 of 169	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.9	125 of 196	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.3	66 of 171	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.4	42 of 160	73.8%	★★★★☆
2017	38.4	58 of 83	30.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	43.9	166 of 320	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.9	238 of 325	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.6	213 of 325	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.3	142 of 317	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.1	162 of 326	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.0	194 of 319	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.6	200 of 313	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.4	126 of 300	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	51.0	91 of 230	60.4%	★★★☆☆

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)77th percentile+10 vs school

Hispanic (2024)72nd percentile+25 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)68th percentile~ school

Male (2026)66th percentile~ school

African American (2026)66th percentile~ school

Female (2026)64th percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)61st percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)48th percentile-19 vs school

Military Connected (2025)3rd percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

Science41%-4 vs state

Mathematics27%~ state avg

English27%-19 vs state

3.0

4 ratings · 4 written reviews

5★1

4★1

3★0

2★1

1★1

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Monday, March 21, 2016

Pell City High School does a great job offering students a variety of courses that prepare them for college and their careers. Pell City offers Project Lead the Way Biomedical and Engineering classes, Health Science and Sports Medicine classes, VoAg classes, Career Tech classes and a variety of Core courses ranging from general education to Advanced Placement. In addition to the courses offered, there are numerous activities that students can become involved in including athletics, a wonderful band, an amazing JROTC program (#1 in the state), and a variety of service, academic, and competitive clubs. The academic course work is rigorous and the teachers really care about their students. The administration does a wonderful job and are very good leaders. The guidance office does a great job helping students find scholarship opportunities and helping them set goals for their school careers. As with any high school, students are going to get out of it what they put in. For those striving to succeed, PCHS gives them every opportunity to do so. Go Panthers! Close Quote

by a citizen
Monday, February 15, 2016

This school is working very hard to improve and provide learning opportunities for all students- not just the college-bound AP student. I believe the education a student has the OPPORTUNITY to earn at PCHS is second to none, but student apathy and lack of parental support for the school and the teachers/administration are the biggest hurdles here. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, July 29, 2013

This school has not had a stable environment the past several years. There has been a high teacher turnover rate and low teacher morale. Very inconsistent discipline, a lot of fighting, bullying, open defiance to teachers, etc. The entire focus of the school has been on the football program. The bathrooms are filthy, the lunches are not edible. It has gone down hill. There are enough resources and funding for this school district. There is no excuse. Some of the teachers are very dedicated. The good teachers are unrecognized and appear to do the work of several people. There are some teachers who are extremely unprofessional. Nothing is done to address problems until a crisis occurs. The special education classes are overcrowded. Students cannot receive individual help. I would homeschool or go with private school. Close Quote

by a citizen
Monday, July 25, 2011

The discipline at Pell City High School has deteriorated over the past 10 years substantially. The administrators from the superintendent down to the principal/vice principals will not crack the whip to get a grip on the situation. Instead they wish to brush it under the rug or take a "it's not really that bad" approach. The result is the discipline problem students are making things bad for the good students and the staff. Pell City at one time had good discipline but the administration has become too permissive and the result speaks for itself.

Also, the school is filthy. Although an addition or two has been completed the overall cleanliness of the facility is abysmal. That can be directly attributed to the lack of funding and prioritization given to custodial and maintenance in the district. If the saying, "appearance is everything" is true then it makes me ashamed to be from Pell City when visitors see the state of cleanliness at our schools and the lack of landscaping/maintenance. There is no excuse (including "lack of funds") for this condition---period. The BOE and the superintendent should get as interested in facility and grounds appearances as they do about trying to have a winning football team.

Pell City's focus on academics, nice facilities, and discipline ended when Dr. Nicholson and Dr. Jane Cobia left. All this administration and BOE is focused on is sports and lip service to problems. Close Quote

Schools Near Pell 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
Pell City High School	Public	9-12	1300 Cogswell Ave	Pell City	35125	St. Clair County	Pell City	No	No	No	No	(205) 338-2250	1,193	71	16.8	55.2%	909 (76.2%)	181 (15.2%)	56 (4.7%)	12 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (2.9%)	60.2	127^th of 386 public high schools	67.1%		38.8	214^th of 374 public high schools	42.8%	87				27.4		40.9				27.2	$9,837	$969	$8,858
Saint Clair County High School	Public	9-12	16700 Us Highway 411	Odenville	35120	St. Clair County	St Clair County	No	No	No	No	(205) 629-6222	665	36	18.5	47.5%	418 (62.9%)	160 (24.1%)	50 (7.5%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (4.8%)	62.9	116^th of 386 public high schools	69.9%		25.7	266^th of 374 public high schools	28.9%	150				21.2		37.2				41.6	$10,482	$1,983	$8,489
Moody High School	Public	9-12	714 High School Dr	Moody	35004	St. Clair County	St Clair County	No	No	No	No	(205) 640-5127	708	36	19.4	36.3%	495 (69.9%)	99 (14.0%)	57 (8.1%)	10 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	44 (6.2%)	78.2	68^th of 386 public high schools	82.4%		76.4	81^st of 374 public high schools	78.3%	13				31.9		46.1				42.6	$8,682	$1,228	$7,443
Lincoln High School	Public	9-12	78989 AL Hwy 77	Lincoln	35096	Talladega County	Talladega County	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 315-5295	607	32	19.1	53.2%	356 (58.6%)	218 (35.9%)	19 (3.1%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.6%)	41.1	221^st of 386 public high schools	42.7%		45	188^th of 374 public high schools	49.7%	33				18.9		29.6				23.6	$10,014	$1,489	$8,495
Eden Area Technical Center	Public	9-12	45 County Road 33	Ashville	35953	St. Clair County	St Clair County	No	No	No	No	(205) 594-7055																			(n/a)
E H Gentry Technical Facility	Public	7-12	1105 Fort Lashley Ave	Talladega	35161	Talladega County	Alabama Inst Deaf And Blind	No	No	No	No	(256) 761-3402																			(n/a)
Vincent Middle High School	Public	6-12	42505 Highway 25	Vincent	35178	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	No	No	No	(205) 682-7344	447	39	11.4	70.0%	296 (66.2%)	103 (23.0%)	26 (5.8%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.3%)	64.8	109^th of 386 public high schools	71.8%		50.3	177^th of 374 public high schools	52.7%	68	29.0	24.5	29.0	26.8	63.5	46.4	51.6	54.7	62.9	29.1	$14,092	$1,744	$12,327
Springville High School	Public	9-12	8295 U S Hwy 11	Springville	35146	St. Clair County	St Clair County	No	No	No	No	(205) 467-7833	772	39	19.6	21.8%	650 (84.2%)	65 (8.4%)	34 (4.4%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (2.6%)	85	42^nd of 386 public high schools	89.1%		94	21^st of 374 public high schools	94.4%	21				35.5		47.3				51.2	$8,747	$1,279	$7,456
Leeds High School	Public	9-12	1500 Greenwave Drive	Leeds	35094	Jefferson County	Leeds City	No	No	No	No	(205) 699-4510	624	36	17.3	46.8%	362 (58.0%)	139 (22.3%)	112 (17.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.4%)	63.7	112^th of 386 public high schools	71.0%		64.2	112^th of 374 public high schools	70.1%					27.9		40.9				30.9	$11,264	$1,025	$10,239
Ashville High School	Public	9-12	33215 US Highway 231	Ashville	35953	St. Clair County	St Clair County	No	No	No	No	(205) 594-7943	378	21	17.8	52.9%	306 (81.0%)	11 (2.9%)	42 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (4.8%)	48.9	183^rd of 386 public high schools	52.6%		50.8	174^th of 374 public high schools	53.5%	9				22.8		35.4				23.1	$13,515	$4,345	$9,158

Frequently Asked Questions about Pell City High School

What schools feed into Pell City High School?

Pell City High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Coosa Valley Elementary School
Elementary : Eden Elementary School
Elementary : Iola Roberts Elementary School
Elementary : Walter M Kennedy School
Middle : Duran Junior High School
Middle : Williams Intermediate School

Is Pell City High School a good school?

Pell City High School ranks 127^th of 386 Alabama high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Pell City High School?

Students at Pell City High School are 76% White, 15% African American, 5% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Pell City High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,193 students attended Pell City High School.

What district is Pell City High School in?

Pell 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.