Schools in Millbrook, AL

Millbrook, Alabama is home to three public schools within the Elmore County district, serving approximately 2,991 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade in a predominantly lower-income community. Stanhope Elmore High School stands out as the district's academic leader, earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the 74th percentile statewide. The high school outperforms state averages in both mathematics (31.89% vs. 27.21% proficient) and English (35.86% vs. 33.73%), and has shown notable improvement in math proficiency over the past year. However, its 84.5% graduation rate trails both the district (87.1%) and state (91.5%) averages, and its science scores dropped significantly from 43.48% to 36.22% proficiency year-over-year.

Millbrook Middle School presents the most compelling improvement story, jumping 50 positions in state rankings over two years to reach the 66th percentile. The school shows strong English performance across all grades, consistently exceeding state averages, but struggles with mathematics consistency—6th graders achieve 40.34% proficiency while 5th graders lag at just 23.55%. This 16.79-point gap between adjacent grades suggests curriculum alignment issues rather than systemic problems. The middle school also faces the district's highest chronic absenteeism rate (13.4%) and the lowest per-student funding ($7,287), despite serving the largest grade span with the highest student-teacher ratio (18.1:1). Coosada Elementary School, serving only PK-2, excels in engagement metrics with the lowest chronic absenteeism (9.9%) and most favorable student-teacher ratio (14.7:1), while receiving the highest per-student funding ($9,760).

Despite serving a higher-than-average percentage of low-income students (52-58% free/reduced lunch), the district generally outperforms state averages, suggesting effective support for its student population. The elementary-to-middle school transition appears disruptive, particularly in mathematics, as proficiency drops sharply from 6th to 7th grade. Chronic absenteeism increases as students progress through the system, with both the high school (13.1%) and middle school (13.4%) exceeding the state average of 12.0%. Resource allocation doesn't align with performance—the middle school receives the least funding while facing the greatest challenges—representing a potential area for district-level reallocation to better support students during this critical transition period.