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Shelby County High School

Q: Is Shelby County High School a good school?

Shelby County High School ranks 128 th of 386 Alabama high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

128^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 386 Alabama High Schools

Better than 67% of Alabama high schools

Summary

Shelby County High School in Columbiana, AL, is a mid-sized public high school serving 572 students in grades 9-12 within the highly-rated Shelby County school district.

Shelby County High School is a school of notable contrasts. Its most impressive strength is its exceptional support for Special Education students, who ranked in the 97th percentile statewide and earned a 5-star rating—a remarkable achievement that places this subgroup among the top in Alabama. The school also shows resilience in its graduation rate, which has held steady between 89% and 93.7% over the past five years, generally meeting or exceeding the state average. Additionally, students from low socio-economic backgrounds perform relatively well, ranking in the 71st percentile statewide, which suggests the school is effectively supporting these learners compared to similar schools across the state.

However, the school faces significant challenges that parents should be aware of. Chronic absenteeism, while dramatically improved from a peak of 30.4% to 16.0%, remains well above the district (11.0%) and state (12.0%) averages, and is higher than most nearby schools like Oak Mountain High School and Chelsea High School. Academic proficiency also lags behind these high-achieving neighbors—for example, only 18.7% of 11th graders were proficient in math, compared to 58.25% at Oak Mountain and 51.14% at Chelsea. The school's overall rating dipped from 4 stars to 3 stars for the 2025-2026 school year, and its performance with African American students has declined sharply over the past two years, a trend that warrants attention. With 56.99% of students on free/reduced lunch, the school serves a more economically diverse population than nearby Oak Mountain (23.3%) and Chelsea (23.48%), which provides important context when comparing outcomes. For parents, this is a school with clear strengths in special education and graduation stability, but one that needs focused work on attendance and closing achievement gaps.

572

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,966

Per pupil spending ?

57%

Free/discounted lunch ?

101 Washington St
Columbiana, AL 35051

(205) 682-6600

District: Shelby County

Feeder schools for Shelby County High School:

Elementary:	Elvin Hill Elementary School
	Shelby Elementary School
	Wilsonville Elementary School
Middle:	Columbiana Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.9%

African American:

12.8%

Hispanic:

11.7%

See top rated Alabama high schools

Compare Shelby County High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 57th percentile in 2016 → 67th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Alabama median (67th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school32%

District avg46%

Alabama avg32%

128^th of 386

Alabama public high schools ?

Top 33%▲ up 10 pts since 2016

From top 43% (2016) to top 33% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 7High Schools in the Shelby County

29^th of 140Shelby County 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	60.1	128 of 386	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.3	100 of 374	73.3%	★★★★☆
2024	48.1	180 of 378	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.2	149 of 371	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.1	86 of 367	76.6%	★★★★☆
2021	74.0	72 of 371	80.6%	★★★★☆
2019	54.6	166 of 366	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.0	131 of 356	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	62.2	108 of 353	69.4%	★★★★☆
2016	54.8	150 of 351	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	65.0	100 of 353	71.7%	★★★★☆
2014	85.9	35 of 358	90.2%	★★★★★
2013	58.6	151 of 358	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	49.3	219 of 358	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	53.3	191 of 360	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	57.4	161 of 358	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.4	107 of 357	70.0%	★★★★☆
2008	53.1	186 of 359	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	37.0	264 of 358	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	55.2	170 of 357	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	48.6	208 of 359	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	58.5	151 of 357	57.7%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	20.1	213 of 238	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.9	192 of 228	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.9	122 of 231	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	82.9	27 of 222	87.8%	★★★★☆
2021	17.0	218 of 228	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	30.4	158 of 224	29.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	45.6	89 of 189	52.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	60.7	125 of 377	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	76.3	83 of 359	76.9%	★★★★☆
2024	33.1	242 of 366	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	71.2	93 of 367	74.7%	★★★★☆
2021	77.9	60 of 359	83.3%	★★★★☆
2019	53.1	167 of 354	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.1	153 of 347	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	52.8	136 of 343	60.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	83.7	22 of 142	84.5%	★★★★☆
2024	14.4	131 of 139	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	30.2	81 of 122	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.0	78 of 114	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	9.8	111 of 113	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	33.9	64 of 103	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	60.5	111 of 383	71.0%	★★★★☆
2025	74.5	70 of 367	80.9%	★★★★☆
2024	46.9	181 of 375	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.9	119 of 361	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.9	92 of 361	74.5%	★★★★☆
2019	54.3	157 of 358	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.8	107 of 349	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	54.6	113 of 315	64.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	59.1	131 of 380	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.8	131 of 363	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.3	119 of 368	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.9	180 of 358	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.9	90 of 366	75.4%	★★★★☆
2021	63.5	107 of 366	70.8%	★★★★☆
2019	51.1	180 of 357	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.3	108 of 350	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	67.4	82 of 339	75.8%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	47.3	57 of 123	53.7%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	74.6	12 of 57	78.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	95.9	5 of 197	97.5%	★★★★★
2025	57.6	61 of 194	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.0	88 of 198	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.4	47 of 182	74.2%	★★★★☆
2022	71.0	39 of 169	76.9%	★★★★☆
2021	41.5	113 of 196	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.8	122 of 171	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.6	82 of 160	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	39.3	55 of 83	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	54.4	134 of 320	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.3	108 of 325	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.7	182 of 325	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.5	154 of 317	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.5	112 of 326	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.7	73 of 319	77.1%	★★★★☆
2019	45.2	161 of 313	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.0	139 of 300	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	42.7	118 of 230	48.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)97th percentile+31 vs school

Hispanic (2025)85th percentile+11 vs school

Native American (2025)79th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)71st percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)67th percentile~ school

Male (2026)66th percentile~ school

White (2026)58th percentile-9 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)54th percentile-13 vs school

African American (2026)11th percentile-56 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

Science44%+8 vs state

English34%~ state avg

Mathematics19%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Shelby County 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
Shelby County High School	Public	9-12	101 Washington St	Columbiana	35051	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	No	No	No	(205) 682-6600	572	41	14.1	57.0%	417 (72.9%)	73 (12.8%)	67 (11.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.4%)	60.1	128^th of 386 public high schools	66.8%		68.3	100^th of 374 public high schools	73.3%	28	18.7	43.9	33.6	$11,966	$1,110	$10,834
New Direction	Public	6-12	701 Hwy 70	Columbiana	35007	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	No	No	No	(205) 682-5910	0	6	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
SUCCESS Program	Public	9-12	701 Highway 70	Columbiana	35051	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(205) 682-6650	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Career Technical Education Center	Public	9-12	701 Highway 70	Columbiana	35051	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	No	No	No	(205) 682-6650	0	11	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Calera High	Public	9-12	100 Calera Eagle Drive	Calera	35040	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	No	No	No	(205) 682-5956	1,018	57	17.8	56.9%	396 (38.9%)	451 (44.3%)	132 (13.0%)	11 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (2.8%)	42.8	211^th of 386 public high schools	45.3%		43.7	196^th of 374 public high schools	47.6%	15	17.7	31.9	24.5	$9,178	$947	$8,212
Chelsea High School	Public	9-12	10510 Highway 11	Chelsea	35043	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	No	No	No	(205) 682-7200	1,235	73	17.0	23.5%	968 (78.4%)	136 (11.0%)	77 (6.2%)	26 (2.1%)	5 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	22 (1.8%)	93.6	21^st of 386 public high schools	94.6%		94.6	18^th of 374 public high schools	95.2%	3	51.1	56.1	50.0	$9,012	$589	$8,406
Thompson High School	Public	9-12	1921 Warrior Parkway	Alabaster	35007	Shelby County	Alabaster City	No	No	No	No	(205) 685-6700	2,060	128	16.1	49.9%	992 (48.2%)	522 (25.3%)	471 (22.9%)	24 (1.2%)	12 (0.6%)	2 (0.1%)	37 (1.8%)	82.1	55^th of 386 public high schools	85.8%		78.4	71^st of 374 public high schools	81.0%	16	37.3	54.0	37.9	$12,268	$891	$11,363
Oak Mountain High School	Public	9-12	5476 Caldwell Mill Rd	Birmingham	35242	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	No	No	No	(205) 682-5200	1,648	89	18.5	23.3%	1,197 (72.6%)	172 (10.4%)	161 (9.8%)	90 (5.5%)	5 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	21 (1.3%)	97.9	14^th of 386 public high schools	96.4%		96.2	11^th of 374 public high schools	97.1%	3	58.3	66.2	58.3	$9,326	$516	$8,795
Pelham High School	Public	9-12	2500 Panther Cir	Pelham	35124	Shelby County	Pelham City	No	No	No	No	(205) 624-3701	1,076	73	14.8	43.2%	469 (43.6%)	212 (19.7%)	320 (29.7%)	30 (2.8%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	40 (3.7%)	80.4	60^th of 386 public high schools	84.5%		76	82^nd of 374 public high schools	78.1%	22	39.9	42.8	41.7	$11,406	$899	$10,506
Montevallo High School	Public	9-12	980 Oak St	Montevallo	35115	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	No	No	No	(205) 682-6400	485	35	13.8	77.7%	195 (40.2%)	110 (22.7%)	168 (34.6%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.9%)	50.2	177^th of 386 public high schools	54.1%		39.6	212^th of 374 public high schools	43.3%	35	22.2	35.0	25.7	$12,913	$952	$11,940

Frequently Asked Questions about Shelby County High School

What district is Shelby County High School in?

Shelby County

What is the racial makeup of Shelby County High School?

Students at Shelby County High School are 73% White, 13% African American, 12% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Shelby County High School?

Shelby County High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Elvin Hill Elementary School
Elementary : Shelby Elementary School
Elementary : Wilsonville Elementary School
Middle : Columbiana Middle School

How many students attend Shelby County High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 572 students attended Shelby County High School.

Is Shelby County High School a good school?

Shelby County High School ranks 128^th of 386 Alabama high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Shelby County High School!

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Schools in Columbiana, AL

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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.