Summary:
Pleasant Grove, Alabama is served by three schools within the Jefferson County school district, which ranks in the bottom third of Alabama districts, and the city presents a dramatic tale of two educational realities.
The standout is Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School, a middle school that ranks #1 in the entire state with a 5-star rating and near-perfect test scores (97-100% proficiency in English and Science). It achieves this despite having a 38% free/reduced lunch population, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 6.5% is less than half the state average. This school receives significantly more funding per student ($13,217) than the other two schools. In stark contrast, Pleasant Grove High School has plummeted to a 0-star rating and the 6th percentile, with math proficiency rates as low as 1.10% in 6th grade and an 18.3% chronic absenteeism rate. Pleasant Grove Elementary School holds a consistent 1-star rating and 12th percentile ranking, with math proficiency ranging from just 7-15% across grades 3-5.
The divide within this district is staggering: in 6th grade math, the IB School's proficiency rate (69.57%) is 63 times higher than the high school's (1.10%). Even more telling, the IB School's 11th grade scores (80.85% math, 91.49% English) dwarf the high school's actual 11th grade scores (10.53% math, 11.01% English). Chronic absenteeism correlates strongly with performance—the IB School's 6.5% rate versus 17.7-18.3% at the other two schools. Funding disparities are also evident, with the IB School receiving 65% more per student than the elementary school. While the elementary school shows relative strength in English (50% proficiency in 3rd grade), all three schools face challenges, and the high school shows concerning year-over-year volatility in test scores, suggesting instability in instruction or student population.
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