Best Public Schools in Ashland, AL

Ashland, Alabama is served by a single public school, Ashland Elementary School, which educates students in grades K-6 and is part of the Clay County district.

For parents in Ashland, the standout story is the remarkable upward trajectory of Ashland Elementary School. The school has improved its state ranking from the 63rd percentile to the 76th percentile in just two years, earning a 4-star rating. This progress is driven by strong academic performance, particularly in English and science. The school outperforms state averages in 8 of 9 subject and grade combinations, with notable strengths in 4th grade science (69.64% proficient, 19 points above the state) and 6th grade English (72% proficient, 15 points above the state). Even more impressive is the dramatic year-over-year improvement in upper grades: 5th grade math jumped 25 points to 55.56% proficiency, and 6th grade English surged nearly 23 points. This suggests that targeted instructional changes are effectively reaching older elementary students.

While the school is a clear academic leader within its district, outperforming Clay County in 7 of 9 subject and grade combinations, there is one area of concern: 6th grade math, where only 34% of students are proficient, falling below both the district (40.17%) and state (35.22%) averages. This represents the single subject and grade where the school trails state performance. However, this weakness is offset by several strengths. The school serves a predominantly low-income population (62.42% free/reduced lunch) yet still achieves strong results, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 9.9% is better than both the district and state averages, indicating strong student engagement. With its rapid ascent in rankings and consistent outperformance of state averages, Ashland Elementary School is on a positive trajectory, with 6th grade math being the clear priority for future improvement.