Summary:
Alpine, Alabama is home to a single elementary school, Sycamore School, which serves students from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade and is part of the Talladega County school district.
For parents considering Sycamore School, the most important takeaway is that this is a school with clear strengths in English but significant struggles in math and science. In the most recent school year, 3rd-grade English proficiency was an impressive 76%, which is more than 11 points above the state average, and 5th-grade math also beat the state by nearly 8 points. However, 4th-grade science proficiency was just 27%, a staggering 23 points below the state average, and both 3rd and 4th-grade math scores lagged by roughly 15 points. The school has also seen its state ranking slip over the past three years, dropping from the 60th percentile to the 42nd percentile, even though some test scores improved. This suggests that while the school is making progress, other schools across Alabama are improving at a faster pace.
One of the biggest challenges facing Sycamore School is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 16.4%—about 36% higher than the state average. This likely contributes to the academic struggles, especially in foundational subjects like math and science. The school also serves a predominantly low-income population, with nearly 67% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch. On a positive note, the 5th-grade cohort stands out as a bright spot, performing above state averages in both English and math, which suggests that students who stay through the program can catch up. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18.6 to 1, and per-student spending is around $10,400. Overall, Sycamore School offers strong literacy instruction but needs targeted intervention in early-grade math and science to reverse its declining ranking and better serve its students.
Thank you for your feedback!