Summary:
There are two high schools serving the city of Jasper, Alabama, covering grades 9 through 12 and educating roughly 1,214 students across the Jasper City and Walker County districts.
Jasper High School is the clear academic leader in this area, ranking in the top 25% of Alabama high schools with a 2025-2026 state rank of 86th out of 380 schools (4 stars). Its proficiency rates are well above state averages in every subject — English at 43.56% (state: 33.73%), Science at 41.78% (state: 36.17%), and Math at 28.04% (state: 27.21%). In contrast, Curry High School has fallen dramatically from 96th in the state (4 stars) in 2023-2024 to 285th (1 star) in 2025-2026, a drop of 189 positions. Curry's proficiency rates are alarmingly low — just 9.52% in Math, 18.52% in English, and 22.62% in Science — all far below state averages. Both schools have graduation rates above the state average (Jasper at 93.8%, Curry at 94.3%, state at 91.5%), yet Curry's academic performance suggests students may be earning diplomas without achieving college or career readiness.
Both schools experienced significant year-over-year declines in all subjects from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, with Jasper's English proficiency dropping 8.46 points and Curry's dropping 7.32 points. Chronic absenteeism is a hidden crisis at both schools — Jasper's rate of 19.6% and Curry's 16.5% both far exceed the state average of 12.0%, and both are outliers within their own districts. The schools serve economically similar populations (45.88% vs. 49.45% free/reduced lunch), yet Jasper spends $2,128 more per student ($12,720 vs. $10,592), a 20% differential that may contribute to the achievement gap. Curry's rapid decline warrants investigation into possible leadership turnover, curriculum changes, or resource constraints, while both schools show Science as a relative strength compared to Math.
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