A new report from Niche has revealed the top-performing school districts in Alabama for 2025. The rankings took into account 143 systems statewide based on a comprehensive evaluation of academic performance, teacher quality, graduation rates, and overall student experience.
Homewood City Schools claimed the top spot, followed closely by Madison City Schools and Auburn City Schools, all earning an overall grade of A+.
RELATED: Hoover educator named 2025 Alabama Teacher of the Year
The annual “Best School Districts in Alabama“ ranking reflects updated evaluation methods that no longer include SAT and ACT scores, aligning with national trends that place less emphasis on standardized testing in college admissions.
Niche’s methodology draws from millions of student and parent reviews and publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. Key factors include academic outcomes, college readiness, teacher quality, and student-teacher ratios. Districts were also assessed for diversity, extracurricular opportunities, and student well-being.
Below are Alabama’s top 25 school districts for 2025, according to Niche:
| Rank | District Name | City | Niche Grade | Schools | Enrollment |
| 1 | Homewood City Schools | Homewood | A+ | 5 | 4,464 |
| 2 | Madison City Schools | Madison | A+ | 13 | 12,736 |
| 3 | Auburn City Schools | Auburn | A+ | 14 | 9,466 |
| 4 | Vestavia Hills City Schools | Vestavia Hills | A+ | 9 | 6,937 |
| 5 | Hoover City Schools | Hoover | A+ | 18 | 13,524 |
| 6 | Saraland City Schools | Saraland | A+ | 4 | 3,488 |
| 7 | Mountain Brook City Schools | Mountain Brook | A+ | 6 | 4,387 |
| 8 | Trussville City Schools | Trussville | A+ | 5 | 5,012 |
| 9 | Alabaster City Schools | Alabaster | A+ | 5 | 6,348 |
| 10 | Hartselle City Schools | Hartselle | A | 6 | 3,669 |
| 11 | Cullman City Schools | Cullman | A | 7 | 3,199 |
| 12 | Enterprise City Schools | Enterprise | A | 9 | 6,585 |
| 13 | Oneonta City Schools | Oneonta | A | 3 | 1,378 |
| 14 | Pelham City Schools | Pelham | A | 4 | 3,407 |
| 15 | Muscle Shoals City Schools | Muscle Shoals | A | 7 | 2,937 |
| 16 | Piedmont City Schools | Piedmont | A | 3 | 1,079 |
| 17 | Florence City Schools | Florence | A | 9 | 4,519 |
| 18 | Athens City Schools | Athens | A | 8 | 5,034 |
| 19 | Winfield City Schools | Winfield | A | 3 | 1,221 |
| 20 | Brewton City Schools | Brewton | A | 3 | 1,171 |
| 21 | Andalusia City Schools | Andalusia | A | 3 | 1,884 |
| 22 | Lamar County Schools | Vernon | A | 5 | 2,176 |
| 23 | Gulf Shores City Schools | Gulf Shores | A- | 3 | 2,640 |
| 24 | Opelika City Schools | Opelika | A- | 10 | 5,204 |
| 25 | Baldwin County Schools | Bay Minette | A- | 42 | 31,818 |
For more information on the rankings and to explore individual district profiles, visit Niche’s official website.
Sherri Blevins is a writer for Mountain Valley News and a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
