Summary:
The city of Satsuma, Alabama, is served by the highly-rated Satsuma City school district, which ranks 16th out of 139 districts in the state and operates two public schools—Robert E Lee Elementary (PK-6) and Satsuma High School (7-12)—with a combined enrollment of 1,534 students.
Both schools perform well above state averages, but they excel in different areas. Robert E Lee Elementary is a model of consistency, particularly in English Language Arts, where proficiency rates range from 70.59% in 4th grade to an impressive 88.46% in 5th grade—20 to 30 points higher than the state average. Its math scores are solid, though 4th grade shows a dip at 41.18%. In contrast, Satsuma High School is a standout for its 5-star rating and 97.3% graduation rate, far exceeding the state's 91.5%. The high school shines in 8th-grade science, with 81.6% proficiency versus the state's 54.12%, but struggles in 7th-grade math at just 27.35% proficiency—a clear area for intervention.
The most striking finding is the chronic absenteeism gap: Robert E Lee Elementary has a low rate of 7.2%, while Satsuma High School sits at an alarming 16.2%, well above the state average of 12.0%. This likely contributes to the academic slump seen in 7th grade. Both schools serve a similar demographic, with about 45% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, yet they achieve above-average results—a testament to effective resource allocation. The high school also has a slightly better student-teacher ratio (17.7:1) and higher per-student spending ($9,796) than the elementary school (19.1:1 and $8,602). Overall, Satsuma offers strong academics, with science as a hidden gem, but parents should watch for the middle-school transition challenges.
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