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5.7avg / 10

Jefferson County School District

School District · Birmingham, Alabama

Students: 35,671
Teachers (FTE): 2,015
Estimated Scores: 4%

Avg Rating

5.7

out of 10

Schools

56

30 elem, 11 mid, 13 high

Enrollment

35,671

Student-Teacher Ratio

17.7:1

How this district compares

Alabama rank

#112 of 143

districts by avg. composite

Vs. state average

-0.6

below Alabama avg

Per-pupil spending

$12,194

$614 vs Alabama median

District size

35,671 students

Much larger than Alabama median

The short answer

Jefferson County ranks #112 of 143 Alabama districts by overall school rating. Jefferson County's schools with real test data average 5.7/10 across 53 schools. Its top-rated schools are Mount Olive Elementary School (8.8/10), Concord Elementary School (8.2/10), and West Jefferson Elementary School (8.1/10). Schools with estimated (proxy) scores are excluded from this ranking.

Best value · beats the odds
Concord Elementary School

Rates 8.2/10 despite 69% of students being economically disadvantaged. That's about 2.7 points higher than its student-poverty level predicts. Roughly as clean a case of strong results without an affluent-ZIP price tag as you'll find among Jefferson County schools.

Top-Rated Schools in Jefferson County

Ranked by MySchoolScout composite rating using only schools with real test data (53 of 56). "Value" = points above what student poverty predicts. Estimated (proxy) scores are excluded.

#SchoolRating
1Mount Olive Elementary School8.8 / 10
2Concord Elementary School8.2 / 10
3West Jefferson Elementary School8.1 / 10
4Warrior Elementary School8.0 / 10
5Oak Grove Elementary School7.7 / 10
6Bryan Elementary School7.5 / 10
7Bryant Park Elementary7.3 / 10
8Erwin Middle School6.9 / 10
9Bagley Elementary School6.9 / 10
10Bragg Middle School6.8 / 10

See all 56 schools — including those with estimated data — in the full directory below. How we rate schools.

About Jefferson County

Jefferson County School District serves 35,671 students across 57 schools in Alabama, making it one of the larger districts in the state. With 55 ranked schools averaging a 6.0 out of 10, the district lands in solid middle ground — parents will find real variation in performance across campuses, which makes school-level research worth the effort.

At the top of that range sits Hueytown Primary School, the district's highest-rated campus at 8.8 out of 10. Four other elementary schools follow close behind: Pinson Elementary at 8.7, Bryan Elementary at 8.6, Center Point Elementary at 8.4, and McAdory Elementary at 8.0. All five clear the district average by a meaningful margin, and each earns its score through demonstrated academic outcomes rather than reputation alone. Parents focused on early elementary years will find the strongest concentration of high performers in this grade band.

The district average of 6.0 across 55 ranked schools signals a wide spread between top and bottom performers. That gap matters when choosing a school. Families already assigned to one of the five standout elementaries are in a strong position; those zoned elsewhere should look closely at individual school scores before assuming their neighborhood campus performs near the district mean. Jefferson County's size — nearly 36,000 students — also means resources, programs, and staff quality can differ substantially from one campus to the next.

For parents comparing Jefferson County against peer districts in Alabama, the 6.0 district average and the cluster of high-scoring elementaries give it a competitive baseline. The presence of multiple schools above 8.0 at the elementary level suggests the district develops strong academic foundations early. Parents prioritizing elementary performance have clear targets to pursue — Hueytown Primary, Pinson, and Bryan stand out as the most consistently strong options the district offers.

District Map

Schools in Jefferson County, colored by MySchoolScout rank. Click a pin for details.

District Average Test Scores

Math Proficiency36.1%
School
State
Not reported
ELA Proficiency49.2%
School
State
Not reported

Average proficiency across all schools in Jefferson County with test data.

Schools in Jefferson County

56 schools
Elementary Schools30
Middle Schools11
High Schools13
Other Schools2

District Details

State
Alabama
City
Birmingham
Total Enrollment
35,671
Teachers (FTE)
2,015
District spending per student
$12,194NCES F-33 · FY 2023 · This annual source is three years behind the current year.
Child poverty rate
17.9%Census SAIPE · 2024
District directory year
2023

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Jefferson County?

Jefferson County has 56 schools in total — 30 elementary, 11 middle, and 13 high schools. You can explore each school's ratings and details on this page.

What is the average rating for Jefferson County?

The average composite rating for Jefferson County is 5.7/10. This score is calculated from the individual ratings of all schools with academic data in the district.

What is the district spending per student in Jefferson County?

Jefferson County's district-level spending was $12,194 per student in fiscal year 2023, according to NCES F-33. This is district context, not an individual-school expense.

What is the student-teacher ratio in Jefferson County?

The average student-teacher ratio in Jefferson County is 17.7:1.

What is the top-rated school in Jefferson County?

Mount Olive Elementary School is the highest-rated school in Jefferson County with a composite score of 8.8/10.

What are the test scores in Jefferson County?

Across schools in Jefferson County with test data, the average math proficiency is 36.1% and the average ELA (reading/writing) proficiency is 49.2%. These figures represent the percentage of students meeting or exceeding grade-level standards.

How does Jefferson County compare to other districts in Alabama?

Jefferson County has an average school rating of 5.7/10 across 56 schools. Families can compare this to other districts in Alabama by visiting individual district pages. Factors like school size, available programs, and community demographics also play a role in choosing the right fit.

How does MySchoolScout rate schools?

MySchoolScout ratings blend student growth, poverty-adjusted academic performance, and learning environment — plus college readiness for high schools. Weights vary by school level, and equity data is shown for context without being factored into the score. Learn more about our rating system on our methodology page.

District Averages

Overall Rating
5.7/10
Math Proficiency
36.1%
ELA Proficiency
49.2%

How we rate schools

A clear 1–10 score built from public data — growth, academics, and learning environment. No hidden criteria, no pay-to-play.

See how we rate

Data from NCES Common Core of Data, Alabama Dept. of Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.

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