Summary:
The city of Mc Intosh, Alabama, is served by two schools within the Washington County school district: McIntosh Elementary School (PK-5) and McIntosh High School (6-12), both of which serve predominantly low-income student populations in a rural Alabama setting.
These two schools are on very different trajectories. McIntosh Elementary School has shown remarkable improvement, jumping from the 4th to the 35th percentile in state rankings over two years. It now exceeds state averages in 3rd-grade English (69.7% vs. 64.8%) and 4th-grade science (51.6% vs. 50.2%). In contrast, McIntosh High School has remained stuck in the bottom 7% of Alabama high schools for three consecutive years, with math proficiency rates near zero in several grades. The high school does maintain a strong 90.9% graduation rate, close to the state average, despite its low test scores. The elementary school clearly outperforms the high school relative to state benchmarks, and it also outperforms its own district in several subjects, while the high school lags behind district averages across the board.
The most pressing issue for both schools is chronic absenteeism, which affects roughly 36% of students—triple the state average. This likely drives much of the academic struggle, particularly in math, where proficiency lags 15-17 points behind state averages at the elementary level and falls to 0% in some high school grades. Science is a relative strength at both schools, and the elementary school's early literacy success shows progress is possible. However, with small class sizes causing volatile year-to-year swings, and the high school spending 27% more per student yet performing worse, the key takeaway is that targeted interventions and improved attendance—not just funding—are essential to closing the achievement gap in this community.
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