Summary:
The city of Cherokee, Alabama, is served by two schools within the Colbert County district: Cherokee Elementary School (grades PK-6) and Cherokee High School (grades 7-12), together educating roughly 432 students in a community where about two-thirds of families qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Cherokee Elementary School is the clear standout, with 5th graders achieving a 70.59% math proficiency rate—far exceeding the district (50.78%) and state (39.06%) averages—and 3rd graders also outperforming the state in math (64.71% vs. 44.89%). The school’s state ranking has improved from the 55th to the 62nd percentile over two years, and its chronic absenteeism rate (12.7%) is well below the district average (17.8%). In contrast, Cherokee High School struggles academically, with 11th-grade math proficiency at just 18.75% (state: 27.21%) and English at 25% (state: 33.73%). The high school also has a chronic absenteeism rate of 23.7%—nearly double the state average—though it maintains a solid 92.1% graduation rate, slightly above the state’s 91.5%.
The most striking finding is the achievement cliff between the two schools: elementary students perform at or above state averages, while high school students lag significantly, with 5th-grade math proficiency nearly four times higher than 11th-grade math. The high school’s absenteeism rate doubles from elementary to high school, a trend strongly linked to lower achievement. Interestingly, the high school spends more per student ($13,870 vs. $11,764) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (10.3:1 vs. 15.1:1), yet outcomes remain below state benchmarks. The elementary school’s 5th-grade math success suggests an effective program worth replicating, while the high school’s year-over-year volatility (11th-grade math jumped from 3.57% to 18.75% in one year) reflects its small cohort size. Despite socioeconomic challenges, Cherokee Elementary proves that economic disadvantage doesn’t dictate results, making it a model for the district.
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