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Central Elementary School

Q: Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 501 st of 680 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

501^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 680 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 26% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary School is a public elementary school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, serving 301 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Tuscaloosa City School District, which is ranked 80 out of 135 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Central Elementary School has consistently underperformed compared to the Tuscaloosa City and Alabama state averages in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the percentage of students proficient or better in Summative Assessment/Mathematics ranged from 25.58% to 38.46% at Central Elementary, compared to 41.76% to 45.47% for the Tuscaloosa City and Alabama state averages. The school also has high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 8.6% to 17.9% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, Central Elementary has a very high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 84.05% to 85.19% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in recent years.

When comparing Central Elementary School to other nearby schools in the Tuscaloosa City district, it is clear that Central is significantly underperforming. For example, Verner Elementary and Tuscaloosa Magnet School Elementary, which are both within the same district, have much higher academic achievement, lower chronic absenteeism, and higher school rankings. Given the significant performance gaps, there may be opportunities for Central Elementary to implement targeted interventions and support programs to address the specific needs of its student population and improve educational outcomes.

291

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,176

Per pupil spending ?

78.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1510 Dinah Washington Ave
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401-4213

(205) 759-3570

District: Tuscaloosa City

Students who attend Central Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Westlawn Middle School
High:	Central High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

80.4%

Hispanic:

17.2%

Two or more races:

1.7%

See top rated Alabama elementary schools

Compare Central Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 10th percentile in 2015 → 26th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 16 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (36% vs 52% meeting standards)

!Science scores 36 pts below the Alabama average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg49%

Alabama avg52%

501^st of 680

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Bottom 26%▲ up 17 pts since 2015

From bottom 10% (2015) to bottom 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 12Elementary Schools in the Tuscaloosa City

80^th of 135Tuscaloosa 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
2025	26.5	501 of 680	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.5	593 of 684	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	641 of 680	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.7	676 of 687	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.0	612 of 692	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.0	596 of 681	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.9	615 of 680	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	21.1	563 of 688	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	14.3	609 of 691	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	13.8	625 of 691	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	11.0	656 of 695	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	26.9	609 of 696	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.5	593 of 696	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	12.6	657 of 688	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	15.2	575 of 623	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	52.4	172 of 427	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.3	300 of 420	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.3	375 of 427	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.6	414 of 426	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.3	369 of 426	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.9	350 of 426	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.6	331 of 423	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	31.3	463 of 649	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.7	520 of 650	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.1	522 of 645	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.6	628 of 656	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.9	582 of 656	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.5	618 of 646	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.1	585 of 640	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	21.6	522 of 639	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2023	26.8	145 of 184	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	36.0	441 of 660	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	18.1	564 of 670	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.3	582 of 623	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.9	641 of 651	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.1	590 of 653	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.6	572 of 649	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	534 of 651	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	26.4	453 of 567	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	23.5	499 of 651	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.7	607 of 655	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.6	637 of 649	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.9	666 of 669	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.3	613 of 669	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.7	531 of 650	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.8	577 of 650	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.7	493 of 639	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2023	30.7	41 of 57	28.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)60th percentile+33 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)33rd percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)29th percentile~ school

Native American (2023)28th percentile+22 vs school

Male (2025)23rd percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2023)21st percentile+15 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2024-2025) ?

English49%-16 vs state

Mathematics32%-10 vs state

Science7%-36 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2025)			Summative Assessment Science (2025)	Summative Assessment English (2025)			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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Summative Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment English 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1510 Dinah Washington Ave	Tuscaloosa	35401	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3570	291	20	14.4	78.7%	1 (0.3%)	234 (80.4%)	50 (17.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.7%)	26.5	501^st of 680 public elementary schools	26.3%		13.5	593^rd of 684 public elementary schools	13.3%	92	32.6	25.6	38.5	7.0	50.0	53.5	42.3	$11,176	$2,407	$8,750
Martin L King Junior Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2430 Martin L King Jr Blvd	Tuscaloosa	35401	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3619	467	28	16.6	79.2%	1 (0.2%)	413 (88.4%)	49 (10.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	19.8	544^th of 680 public elementary schools	20.0%		25.5	511^th of 684 public elementary schools	25.3%	33	24.2	17.0	24.2	13.6	54.6	45.8	46.8	$12,095	$2,487	$9,589
Matthews Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1225 Rice Mine Road	Northport	35476	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 342-2654	401	26	15.2	86.8%	25 (6.2%)	231 (57.6%)	139 (34.7%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	13.5	604^th of 680 public elementary schools	11.2%		12.7	602^nd of 684 public elementary schools	12.0%	2	21.7	23.0		16.2	32.8	38.9		$9,484	$2,129	$7,332
Oakdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5001 25th Street	Tuscaloosa	35401	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3626	292	22	13.4	80.5%	3 (1.0%)	264 (90.4%)	16 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.4%)	18.1	559^th of 680 public elementary schools	17.8%		12.6	607^th of 684 public elementary schools	11.3%	48	40.0	26.7	10.5	6.7	50.0	40.0	29.0	$12,270	$2,250	$10,000
University Place Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2000 First Avenue	Tuscaloosa	35401	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3664	570	38	15.0	69.3%	24 (4.2%)	448 (78.6%)	63 (11.1%)	22 (3.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.1%)	42.6	405^th of 680 public elementary schools	40.4%		22.6	527^th of 684 public elementary schools	23.0%	122	51.1	38.9	59.3	15.3	54.0	43.7	59.3	$11,854	$1,683	$10,153
Crestmont Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	2400 34th Ave	Northport	35476	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 342-2695	268	20	13.4	74.6%	32 (11.9%)	141 (52.6%)	85 (31.7%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	19.1	550^th of 680 public elementary schools	19.1%		28.2	499^th of 684 public elementary schools	27.0%	51	24.4	25.0		25.6	43.2	40.0		$10,253	$2,088	$8,140
Tuscaloosa Magnet School Elementary	Public, Magnet	1-5	315 Mcfarland Blvd E	Tuscaloosa	35404	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	Yes	No	No	(205) 759-3655	324	22	15.0	27.8%	132 (40.7%)	145 (44.8%)	18 (5.6%)	20 (6.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.5%)	94.1	20^th of 680 public elementary schools	97.1%		95.5	18^th of 684 public elementary schools	97.4%	2	67.2	88.3	82.0	65.0	87.9	96.7	96.7	$11,429	$974	$10,435
FaucettVestavia Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1150 Vestavia Circle	Northport	35473	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2646	343	23	14.9	46.9%	194 (56.6%)	100 (29.2%)	18 (5.2%)	17 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.1%)	71.8	179^th of 680 public elementary schools	73.7%		78.1	135^th of 684 public elementary schools	80.3%	44	47.5	36.2		56.9	84.8	82.8		$8,445	$948	$7,473
Skyland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	408 Skyland Boulevard East	Tuscaloosa	35405	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3638	459	28	16.5	76.5%	7 (1.5%)	364 (79.3%)	73 (15.9%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.0%)	22	529^th of 680 public elementary schools	22.2%		23.8	521^st of 684 public elementary schools	23.8%	8	32.8	21.2	27.7	13.6	50.0	43.9	48.4	$11,558	$2,241	$9,145
Flatwoods Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	3800 66th Ave	Northport	35473	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 342-2648	459	32	14.3	68.6%	90 (19.6%)	198 (43.1%)	153 (33.3%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.4%)	28.6	485^th of 680 public elementary schools	28.7%		28	500^th of 684 public elementary schools	26.9%	15	26.4	25.8		24.2	53.9	56.5		$9,480	$1,998	$7,458

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary School

What district is Central Elementary School in?

Tuscaloosa City

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Central Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Westlawn Middle School
High : Central High School

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary School?

Students at Central Elementary School are 80% African American, 17% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Central Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 291 students attended Central Elementary School.

Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 501^st of 680 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate Central Elementary School!

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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.