We present DNS email security profiling for 157 K-12 LEAs in Alabama, of which 149 have active domains (94.9% coverage). Domains were scored on the Lokentra 100-point Email Security Index (ESI) rubric (SPF 30 pts + DKIM 30 pts + DMARC 40 pts). Alabama K-12 districts achieve an average ESI score of 52.5/100, with 33.6% earning Grade A or B (strong posture) and 28.2% receiving Grade F (minimal authentication). Only 53.0% have any DMARC record, and just 34.2% have DMARC at an enforcement level (quarantine or reject) — leaving 47.0% of districts fully vulnerable to email domain spoofing. This report provides entity-level data for all 149 scored domains including provider classification, authentication status, and ESI score, sourced from NCES CCD 2024-2025 and live DNS resolution conducted April 22, 2026.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total K-12 LEAs in state | 157 |
| Regular school districts | 140 |
| Charter LEAs | 12 |
| Other LEA types (state-operated, regional, etc.) | 5 |
| LEAs with active internet domain | 149 (94.9%) |
| Domains DNS-profiled | 149 |
| Data freshness (NCES CCD) | 2024-2025 school year |
| DNS scan date | April 22, 2026 |
To estimate human exposure, NCES national averages are applied to CCD 2024-2025 operational school counts: 381 students per school, 51 staff per school, and 2 parents or guardians per student. Alabama K-12 districts collectively operate approximately 1,529 schools.
| Population | Total in Dataset | At Risk (No DMARC, 47.0%) | Critically Exposed (Grade F, 28.2%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 582,549 | 273,798 | 164,278 |
| Parents and guardians | 1,165,098 | 547,596 | 328,557 |
| Staff and educators | 77,979 | 36,650 | 21,990 |
| Total people | 1,825,626 | 858,044 | 514,826 |
Estimates based on NCES national averages. Individual district enrollment data can be linked via NCES LEAID for precise counts.
| Protocol | Alabama | National K-12 (ESI) | vs. National |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPF (any configuration) | 79.2% | 79.7% | -0.5pp |
| DKIM (key published) | 61.7% | 59.6% | +2.1pp |
| DMARC (any policy) | 53.0% | 55.5% | -2.5pp |
| DMARC at enforcement (quarantine/reject) | 34.2% | ~21.0% | +13.2pp |
| DMARC at reject (full enforcement) | 10.1% | ~12.2% | -2.1pp |
| No MX records (not receiving email) | 12.1% | ~10.0% | +2.1pp |
| Grade | Score | Districts | Share | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 90–100 | 22 | 14.8% | Full enforcement |
| B | 70–89 | 28 | 18.8% | Strong posture |
| C | 50–69 | 39 | 26.2% | Partial protection |
| D | 30–49 | 18 | 12.1% | Weak configuration |
| F | 0–29 | 42 | 28.2% | Minimal/no authentication |
| Average score | 52.5 / 100 | |||
| Provider | Districts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace | 88 | 59.1% |
| Microsoft 365 | 13 | 8.7% |
| Sophos | 7 | 4.7% |
| Barracuda | 3 | 2.0% |
| Proofpoint | 2 | 1.3% |
| GoDaddy | 2 | 1.3% |
| District | Domain | County | Provider | SPF | DKIM | DMARC Policy | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
dys.alabama.gov |
Montgomery County | Microsoft 365 | ✓ | ✓ | reject | 100 | A | |
winfield.k12.al.us |
Marion County | Sophos | ✓ | ✓ | reject | 100 | A | |
boazk12.org |
Marshall County | Sophos | ✓ | ✓ | reject | 95 | A | |
lifeacademyal.com |
Montgomery County | Google Workspace | ✓ | ✓ | reject | 95 | A | |
bcbe.org |
Baldwin County | Proofpoint | ✓ | ✓ | reject | 95 | A | |
butlerco.k12.al.us |
Butler County | Google Workspace | ✓ | ✓ | reject | 95 | A | |
cullmancats.net |
Cullman County | Google Workspace | ✓ | ✓ | reject | 95 | A | |
elmoreco.com |
Elmore County | — | ✓ | ✓ | reject | 95 | A | |
huntsvillecityschools.org |
Madison County | — | ✓ | ✓ | reject | 95 | A | |
lawrenceal.org |
Lawrence County | Google Workspace | ✓ | ✓ | reject | 95 | A | |
mcssk12.org |
Madison County | Google Workspace | ✓ | ✓ | reject | 95 | A | |
morgank12.org |
Morgan County | Barracuda | ✓ | ✓ | reject | 95 | A | |
tcschools.com |
Elmore County | Google Workspace | ✓ | ✓ | reject | 95 | A | |
acs-k12.org |
Limestone County | Sophos | ✓ | ✓ | quarantine | 90 | A | |
chickasawschools.com |
Mobile County | Google Workspace | ✓ | ✓ | quarantine | 90 | A |
| District | Domain | County | Provider | SPF | DKIM | DMARC Policy | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
hoovercityschools.net |
Jefferson County | GoDaddy | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
andalusiacityschools.schoolinsites.com |
Covington County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
annistonschools.com |
Calhoun County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
prs.school |
Montgomery County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
magiccityacceptanceacademy.org |
Jefferson County | Google Workspace | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
bhamcityschools.org |
Jefferson County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
calhouncountyschools.com |
Covington County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
choctawal.org |
Choctaw County | Google Workspace | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
claycoboe.org |
Clay County | GoDaddy | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
conecuh.k12.al.us |
Conecuh County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
coosaschools.k12.al.us |
Coosa County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
crenshawcounty.schoolinsites.com |
Crenshaw County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
eufaulacityschools.org |
Barbour County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
fairfield.cyberschool.com |
Jefferson County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F | |
greenecoboe.greene.k12.al.us |
Greene County | — | ✗ | ✗ | — | 0 | F |
| County | Districts | Website Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County | 18 | 100.0% |
| Mobile County | 7 | 85.7% |
| Montgomery County | 5 | 100.0% |
| Marshall County | 5 | 100.0% |
| Madison County | 4 | 100.0% |
| Talladega County | 4 | 75.0% |
| Covington County | 4 | 100.0% |
| Calhoun County | 4 | 100.0% |
| Colbert County | 4 | 100.0% |
| Elmore County | 3 | 66.7% |
These findings identify specific, actionable gaps in Alabama's K-12 email security posture. The 47.0% DMARC gap represents districts that can be impersonated by any sender, enabling phishing campaigns targeting parents, students, and educators with no authentication failure. Key observations:
p=none). Upgrading to p=quarantine would move them to B without infrastructure changes.The full Alabama K-12 dataset — 157 entities with NCES CCD enrichment (phone, address, grade span, school count, LEAID) and DNS authentication profiles — is available as part of the Lokentra ESI State Pack.
| Tier | Scope | Suggested Use |
|---|---|---|
| State Pack: Alabama | All 157 K-12 LEAs, full DNS profile + CCD enrichment | Regional studies, state policy, outreach |
| K-12 National | All 50 states, 20,021+ K-12 LEAs | National K-12 cybersecurity research |
| Full Registry | 801,359+ entities across all sectors | Comprehensive multi-sector research |
| API + Updates | Quarterly re-scan, REST API | Longitudinal studies, live dashboards |
Contact: research@monitorworkspace.com — Free demo at monitorworkspace.com/scorecard
Citation: Lokentra Research Team (2026). Alabama K-12 Email Security Intelligence: DNS Authentication Profiling of 157 School District LEAs. Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series. https://lokentra-site.web.app/research/states/al-k12-paper.html
Data sources: NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-2025; DNS records resolved via Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8) and Cloudflare (1.1.1.1). All entity data derived from publicly accessible government registries.
National baseline figures from Lokentra U.S. Education Sector Email Security Intelligence Dataset (March 2026). See education-dataset-paper.html for full methodology.