Summary:
Montevallo, Alabama is home to a single elementary school, Montevallo Elementary School, which serves grades K-5 and is part of the highly-rated Shelby County school district.
For parents considering this school, the most important takeaway is that Montevallo Elementary serves a predominantly low-income population, with over 81% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Despite this challenge, the school shows a clear pattern of academic growth as students advance through the grades. In English, 5th graders achieve a 76.32% proficiency rate, which actually exceeds the state average of 69.53%—a remarkable feat given the high poverty rate. The school also maintains a chronic absenteeism rate of 10.8%, which is better than both the district (11.0%) and state (12.0%) averages. However, mathematics remains a significant concern, with proficiency rates in every grade level falling well below district averages, with gaps ranging from 8.6 to 19.6 percentage points. The school's overall state ranking has slipped slightly from 327th to 364th over the past three years, though it remains in the middle of Alabama elementary schools.
One of the most encouraging trends is the year-over-year improvement in 4th grade science scores, which rose from 37.61% to 42.45% proficiency. The school also demonstrates a "grade-level gap" pattern where performance relative to state averages improves dramatically by 5th grade, suggesting that the school effectively builds foundational skills over time. While the school consistently underperforms the strong Shelby County district averages, this is partly due to demographic disparities within the district. With a student-teacher ratio of 15.2:1 and per-student spending of $10,413 (from 2018-2019), the school provides a reasonable learning environment. Overall, Montevallo Elementary is a school that shows promise in English and science, but parents should be aware that math support may be needed at home.
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