Best Public Schools in Gordo, AL

The city of Gordo, Alabama, is served by two schools within the Pickens County school district: Gordo Elementary School (grades PK-6) and Gordo High School (grades 7-12), together educating about 1,018 students in a small, rural Alabama community.

Gordo Elementary School is the clear standout, ranking in the 64th percentile statewide with a 3-star rating. Its English Language Arts performance is exceptional, beating state averages by 6 to 15 percentage points across all grades. The school also boasts a remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of just 5.0%, less than half the district rate and well below the state average. However, math is a significant weakness, particularly in 5th grade where only 21.33% of students are proficient—a staggering 17.73 points below the state average. This represents a dramatic "5th grade cliff," with proficiency dropping over 20 points from the previous grade level. Despite these math struggles, the school outperforms its district in nearly every subject and grade, and 4th grade science is a bright spot at 61.43% proficiency, 11.2 points above the state.

Gordo High School shows positive momentum, improving its statewide rank from the 24th to 40th percentile over two years, and maintains a solid 92.0% graduation rate. Yet the school faces serious academic challenges, especially in math: 8th grade proficiency sits at just 10.47%, nearly 16 points below the state average. English performance is mixed, with 7th and 8th graders near state averages, but 11th graders falling 7.64 points behind. The school's chronic absenteeism (11.9%) is much higher than the elementary school's, and its student-teacher ratio (21.8:1) is less favorable. While both schools serve a high proportion of economically disadvantaged students (53-59% free/reduced lunch), the elementary school achieves stronger results relative to state benchmarks, suggesting that targeted math intervention—especially in transition years—could yield significant improvements across the district.