Schools in Chelsea, AL

The city of Chelsea, Alabama, is served by four schools within the Shelby County school district, which holds a 4-star rating and ranks in the 79th percentile statewide, offering a K-12 feeder pattern that includes two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school for roughly 3,563 students.

For parents, the standout is Chelsea High School, a 5-star school ranked in the 95th percentile for two consecutive years, with a 96.8% graduation rate and proficiency rates roughly double the state average. Chelsea Middle School also earns 5 stars, and its 8th-grade science proficiency (82.58%) is exceptional—nearly 30 points above the state average. Among the elementary schools, Chelsea Park Elementary is the stronger performer, with 5th-grade English proficiency at 84.87% and the district’s lowest chronic absenteeism rate (4.5%). Forest Oaks Elementary holds a solid 4-star rating but lags behind Chelsea Park in nearly every metric, despite spending the most per student ($9,435) and having a similar share of economically disadvantaged students—suggesting differences in instructional quality or school culture drive outcomes.

Key patterns to note: math proficiency dips sharply in 7th grade (35.21%), the lowest in the district, while English/Language Arts is consistently the strongest subject across all grades. Chronic absenteeism nearly doubles from elementary (4.5-5.8%) to high school (10.6%), though all schools stay well below the state average. Chelsea Middle School is notably efficient, achieving top-tier results with the lowest per-student spending ($7,609). Meanwhile, Chelsea High School showed strong year-over-year gains in math and science, and Chelsea Park outperforms Forest Oaks despite a slightly higher poverty rate, indicating that factors beyond economics are at play. Overall, this is a high-performing district with clear strengths in literacy and middle-school science, but targeted attention is needed for 7th-grade math and high school English.