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Best Public Schools in Montgomery, AL


At a glance
51
Schools
27,398
Students
3
Districts
6
5-star schools
Top rankedLoveless Academic Magnet Program High School1st of 380 Alabama high schools
Biggest riser
Catoma Elementary School up 109 spots statewide this year
Smallest classes
McIntyre Comprehensive Academy 11.1 students per teacher
SchoolDigger ratings
5★
1★
0★
4 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)
Summary:

The city of Montgomery, Alabama, is served by 50 schools across three districts, including 31 elementary schools, 9 middle schools, 8 high schools, and 2 alternative schools, with the vast majority belonging to the Montgomery County district, which currently ranks in the 19th percentile statewide.

Montgomery's educational landscape is defined by a stark contrast between its high-performing magnet schools and its struggling traditional schools. At the top, Loveless Academic Magnet Program High School (LAMP) is the district's crown jewel, ranking #1 in Alabama with near-perfect proficiency rates (94.95% in math, 96.97% in English) and a 100% graduation rate. Similarly, Forest Avenue Elementary School also ranks #1 in the state for elementary schools, with 84-100% proficiency across subjects and an incredibly low 0.8% chronic absenteeism rate. Other standouts include Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School (97.8% graduation rate), Bear Exploration Center (91.95% science proficiency), and Baldwin Art And Academics Magnet (85.5% science proficiency). At the other end of the spectrum, McIntyre Comprehensive Academy ranks 379th out of 380 high schools with a 48.6% graduation rate and 0% proficiency in math and English, while Davis Elementary School ranks 685th out of 686 elementary schools with math proficiency as low as 2.83%.

District-wide, Montgomery schools face significant challenges. The average chronic absenteeism rate is 25.2%—more than double the state average—with Percy Julian High School (55%) and Johnson Abernathy Graetz High School (53.9%) showing the most severe problems. Academic proficiency lags 9-14 percentage points behind state averages across all subjects. However, there is a clear poverty-achievement correlation: schools with lower free/reduced lunch rates (17-50%) consistently outperform those with 80%+ poverty rates. Notably, per-student spending shows no correlation with performance—McIntyre Comprehensive Academy spends $38,362 per student (5x the district average) yet achieves the lowest metrics, while Forest Avenue Elementary spends just $7,213 per student while ranking #1. Some schools show promising improvement trends, including Carver Elementary School, Catoma Elementary School, and Nixon Elementary School, suggesting that targeted interventions can yield positive results even within a challenging district context.

Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private




Cities Near Montgomery

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Alabama State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.

Diagnostics